Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers Picks, Predictions, Odds

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

Regular season NBA action resumes on Wednesday night with a compelling Pacific Division showdown between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. Coverage begins from Crytpo.com Arena in L. A. at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.

PHOENIX SUNS vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS BETTING PREDICTION

The Lakers appeared to be dead in the water at the trade deadline, as they elected to part ways with Russell Westbrook while sitting on the outside-looking-in at the Western Conference playoff picture deep in the season, and not to mention, while also dealing with a handful of injury concerns, as LeBron James remains sidelined with a foot issue.

However, to the surprise of many, the Lakers have played some of their best basketball of the season since the trade deadline, as they enter Wednesday boasting a record of 10-6 in their last 16 games, while ranking 8th in the league in net rating during that stretch (+3.3 NetRtg).

A common notion that tends to float around the basketball community is that “adding talent never hurts,” which is true on a broad scale, however, certainly shouldn’t be considered the be-all and end-all method when it comes to managing a professional sports team. Overall “fit” is also a crucial factor.

In 52 outings for the Lakers this season, Westbrook jacked up roughly 14 field goal attempts per game on 42% from the field and 29% from long range, absolutely dismal efficiency numbers, and now that he’s no longer with the team, we’re seeing those extra shot attempts dispersed amongst other options down the line in the rotation, which has worked out much better for them. 

So, is it possible that the Lakers are actually better off without Westbrook? In alot of ways, yes. Sure, they’re missing out on his tremendous athleticism and ball handling skills, but they’ve also shed an inefficient 14 shots per game, and this is an L. A.’ team that simply cannot afford to waste possessions.

While on the other hand, the Suns are currently favored to win the Western Conference at +250, and rightfully so, given the fact that the Nuggets, Clippers, Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Warriors have all proven to be untrustworthy options, and Phoenix already teetered on the border of title contention prior to the acquisition of Kevin Durant. In order to acquire Durant, though, Phoenix had to sacrifice a huge amount of depth, and now that Durant is sidelined with an ankle injury, the Suns are skating on very thin ice at the moment.

The Suns enter Wednesday following losses in four of their last five games, with three of those losses coming by surprisingly wide margins of 9+ points, and there’s a good chance their struggles continue in a road matchup against a Lakers’ squad that’s 9-5 SU and 8-6 ATS since mid-February.

Score Prediction: Lakers 116, Suns 107
Best Bet: Lakers +1 (-110)

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PHOENIX SUNS vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS BETTING ODDS

PHOENIX SUNS vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS BETTING RESOURCES

Date: Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Venue: Crypto.com Arena
Location: Los Angeles, California
TV-Time: ESPN, 10:00 p.m. ET
Matchup
Expert Picks

NBA Finals Betting Odds

PHOENIX SUNS vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS BETTING STATS

Phoenix Suns
SU: 38-33
ATS: 37-33-1
O/U: 35-35-1
PPG: 113.4
OPPG: 111.6

Los Angeles Lakers
SU: 35-37
ATS: 34-37-1
O/U: 34-37-1
PPG: 116.4
OPPG: 116.8

Straight Up (SU), Against the Spread (ATS), Over-Under (O/U)
Points Per Game (PPG), Opponents Points Per Game (OPPG)

PHOENIX SUNS vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS BETTING TRENDS

• The Suns are 0-5 ATS in their last five games.
• The total has gone OVER in seven of Phoenix's last eight games.
• The Suns are 1-4 SU in their last five games.
• The Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games.
• The total has gone UNDER in four of the Lakers' last five games.
• The total has gone UNDER in seven of the Lakers' last ten games against Phoenix.
• The total has gone UNDER in nine of the Lakers' last ten home games.
• The Suns are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games against the Lakers.
• The Suns are 9-0 SU in their last nine games against the Lakers.

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson