Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns Odds, Analysis, NBA Betting Pick
The two worst teams in the Western Conference will square off Thursday night, when the Phoenix Suns (21-43) host the Los Angeles Lakers (19-45) as solid home favorites at the sportsbooks.
The Lakers will be looking to break an eight-game losing streak and beat the Suns for the second time in four meetings this season after dropping the past two.
Point spread: The Suns opened as seven-point favorites; the total is at 230, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)
NBA betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 116.8-103.2 Suns (NBA picks on every game)
Why the Lakers can cover the spread
Los Angeles won the first meeting with Phoenix 119-108 as a 3.5-point home favorite back on November 6 but has not won on the road in this series since 2011. Still, the Lakers have to snap their skid at some point, and the Suns saw their three-game winning streak end with a 131-127 loss to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.
Phoenix had not won three in a row since November of 2015, and the team has not avoided losing at least two straight off a setback since December 13. That just goes to show how streaky the NBA can be.
Why the Suns can cover the spread
Despite the loss to the Wizards, the Suns covered the spread as a 5.5-point home underdog and has also beaten the number in each of their last four. In addition, they are 8-2-1 against the spread in the previous 11 versus Los Angeles, covering five in a row at home.
Phoenix had been playing better defense too during its winning streak, and that may be the difference against the Lakers again. The Suns routed them 137-101 in the last meeting as 4.5-point home chalk February 15 behind an Eric Bledsoe triple-double.
Smart betting pick
The Suns are the better team, there is simply no doubt about that. They also play seven of their next 10 games on the road after this game and have been much better at home, going 13-19 straight up and 18-14 ATS on the Vegas lines. The Lakers are a dismal 7-27 SU on the road and 15-19 ATS, and they will see both those numbers get worse here with another loss.
NBA betting trends
The Lakers are 0-4-1 ATS in their last five games.
Phoenix is 5-0 ATS in its last five games at home.
The total has gone under in four of the Lakers' last six games.
All NBA lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.
