Suns vs. Lakers prediction and odds for NBA In-Season Tournament Quarterfinals
Can the Lakers pick up a third win in as many tries against the Suns on Tuesday?
By Peter Dewey
For the third time this season, the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns face off, but this game has some serious stakes with it.
The winner of Tuesday’s NBA In-Season Tournament Quarterfinal game will advance to play the New Orleans Pelicans in the semifinals in Las Vegas on Thursday. Los Angeles is 2-0 against the Suns this season, but the team may have a tougher time on Tuesday with Devin Booker playing his first game against the team this season.
Shoutout to Adam Silver too, as we didn't see LeBron James and Kevin Durant matchup for years, and now we’ve gotten to see it three times in less than two months.
The Lakers are slight favorites in this game, but can we bet on them to win at home?
Here are the latest odds and my pick for this game.
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Suns vs. Lakers odds, spread and total
Suns vs. Lakers how to watch
- Date: Tuesday, Dec. 5
- Game Time: 10:00 p.m. EST
- Venue: Crypto.com Arena
- How to Watch (TV): TNT
- Suns Record: 12-8
- Lakers Record: 12-9
Suns vs. Lakers injury reports
Phoenix Suns injury report
- Bradley Beal – out
- Eric Gordon – questionable
- Damion Lee – out
Los Angeles Lakers injury report
- Anthony Davis – probable
- Rui Hachimura – probable
- LeBron James – questionable
- Jarred Vanderbilt – probable
- Gabe Vincent – out
Suns vs. Lakers key players to watch
Phoenix Suns
Kevin Durant: Durant will finally have some help against the Lakers with Booker back in the lineup. KD is shooting the ball at a high rate this season (51.2 percent from the field, 49.4 percent from 3).
Devin Booker: Booker has missed both of the team’s games against the Lakers this season, but he’s averaging 27.9 points per game when he is in action. The Suns are hoping he and Durant can create issues for Los Angeles on defense.
Los Angeles Lakers
Anthony Davis: They key stat for the Lakers? They are 9-3 in games where Davis scores 20 or more points. They are the opposite (3-6) when he doesn’t this season.
LeBron James: How can we not watch out for LeBron James when a trophy is on the line? The four-time champion is looking to add to his resume of winning, and he shined in the last meeting against Phoenix, scoring 32 points.
Suns vs. Lakers prediction and pick
It’s tough to handicap this matchup given the Suns’ inconsistent roster this season, but it’s worth noting that the team is 7-2 straight up when Booker and Durant both play.
The issue? There's also a trend that favors the Lakers, who are 8-2 at home this season.
So, we can’t base this play strictly off the trends.
In the two previous matchups between these teams, the Lakers have thwarted huge KD performances with 30-point games from either James or Davis. Now, with the Lakers getting key pieces like Vandebilt and Hachimura back in the lineup, I think depth can win Los Angeles this game.
Not only is Vanderbilt a great option to defend Durant and Booker, but the Lakers overall have way more scoring options than the previous meetings this season.
Booker should help the Suns, but the team lost at home with Durant and Beal playing in the last meeting.
I’ll roll with Los Angeles on the moneyline to advance to the semifinals.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.