The Phoenix Suns (45-35, 17-23 Away), one of the NBA’s top scoring defenses, travel to face the Los Angeles Lakers (41-39, 21-18 Home) on Friday. Phoenix is playing on back-to-back days after defeating the Denver Nuggets 119-115 at Footprint Center yesterday, their seventh win in a row.
Kevin Durant was the scoring leader with 29 points. Chris Paul chipped in with 25 points and six rebounds. The Suns are fourth in the Western Conference. Los Angeles lost on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena, falling to the Los Angeles Clippers 125-118. LeBron James had 33 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in defeat, carrying the team.
The Lakers are the seventh seed in the Western Conference.This is the last meeting of the season between the teams. Los Angeles will be looking to level the season series after triumphing in only one of the three earlier games, including a 122-111 victory at Crypto.com Arena on March 22. Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 27 points, while Austin Reaves contributed 25 points and 11 assists.
Devin Booker had 33 points and six rebounds in the loss. The Suns have been led this season by Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges, who are averaging 17.7 and 17.2 points per game, respectively. Ayton also has grabbed 9.8 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Paul is dishing 8.9 assists per game.
Reaves and Dennis Schroder have been the primary providers of the Lakers’ offense, averaging 12.9 and 12.6 points per game, respectively. Schroder also has tallied 4.5 assists per game. Wenyen Gabriel has collected 4.2 rebounds per game.
The Suns are one of the toughest scoring defenses in the league, ranking fifth with 111.4 points per game allowed. The teams have split their last 10 matchups at Crypto.com Arena (5-5).
Meanwhile, the Suns are 6-5 this season when playing two days in a row and 2-3 in such games against opponents with at least a day of rest. The Lakers are 7-5 with a rest advantage. In the last 10 games, Phoenix is 7-3 with an average margin of +6.0 (116.9-110.9).
Los Angeles has also a 7-3 record over the last 10, scoring 119.8 points per game on average while allowing 114.4 (+5.4 margin).
SUNS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Cameron Payne: 7.5 | 16.9 | -9.4
Points per game:
Chris Paul: 17.4 | 13.9 | +3.5
Cameron Payne: 4.5 | 10.2 | -5.7
Assists per game:
Chris Paul: 6.4 | 8.9 | -2.5
LAKERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Austin Reaves: 27.8 | 19.2 | +8.6
Malik Beasley: 9.2 | 17.5 | -8.3
Points per game:
Austin Reaves: 20.0 | 12.9 | +7.1
D’Angelo Russell: 12.5 | 17.7 | -5.2
Rebounds per game:
Jarred Vanderbilt: 4.8 | 7.6 | -2.8
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
LA Lakers -13.5 (-105)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
