Suns vs Lakers Odds, Spread and Picks
- The Phoenix Suns are 6-point road favorites over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, May 9th
- Phoenix has won both meetings from the reigning NBA champions this season
- Read below for the odds, our analysis and betting prediction
The Los Angeles Lakers may be the defending NBA champions, but they’ve been dominated this season by the Phoenix Suns.
In what’s looking more and more as a possible first-round NBA playoff matchup, the Suns have won both regular-season meetings. Favored Phoenix has also covered the spread in both games.
Even as a visitor to the Staples Center on Sunday, the Suns are still the 6-point road chalk to beat the Lakers yet again.
Suns vs Lakers Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread at BetMGM | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix Suns | -238 | -6.0 (-110) | O 214.5 (-110) |
| Los Angeles Lakers | +195 | +6.0 (-110) | U 214.5 (-110) |
Odds as of May 9th.
Sunday’s game is slated for a 10:10pm ET tipoff. SN One is carrying the broadcast.
Suns Shining Over LA
Already, Phoenix has clinched the season series over the Lakers for the first time since the 2015-16 season. The Lakers missed the playoffs that campaign. That won’t be happening this time around. However, there’s a real possibility that LA’s defending NBA champions could be a one-and-done postseason participant this season.
The Lakers have lost five of six overall. Friday’s 106-101 loss at Portland gave the Trail Blazers the tiebreaker for the sixth seed over LA.
Congratulations to the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns on your best regular season performances in recent history! The reward for one of you is (likely) a first round match up against LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the reigning champion Lakers! Enjoy!
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 8, 2021
Basketball-Reference lists the Lakers with a 74% chance of finishing seventh in the Western Conference, which would leave the reigning champs involved in a one-game play-in scenario. The Suns are given a 66.4% chance of being the #2 seed, which means that this game could end up as a potential first-round playoff preview.
The Suns were 114-104 winners over the Lakers as 1.5-point favorites in their last visit to the Staples Center on March 2nd. Phoenix won 111-94 over the Lakers at home as the 10.5-point chalk on March 21st.
Injury Updates
Lakers small forward LeBron James (ankle) is close to a return to action, but won’t play Sunday. Both power forward Anthony Davis (calf) and center Marc Gasol (finger) are listed as probable starters.
Davis has been looking more like himself of late. He poured in 36 points with 12 rebounds and five assists in LA’s defeat at Portland. Davis didn’t play in either loss to the Suns.
Anthony Davis tonight:
36 Points
12 Rebounds
5 Assists
52 FG%
2/3 3PMAD’s best game since his return. pic.twitter.com/iR52LQTwue
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 8, 2021
Shooting guard Alex Caruso (mild concussion) and shooting guard Talen Horton-Tucker (calf) are listed as questionable by the Lakers. Small forward Kyle Kuzma (thumb) is listed as doubtful. Both Kuzma and Caruso played Friday against Portland.
Suns small forward Cameron Johnson (wrist) is out for Sunday’s game.
Trendspotting
Phoenix owns an NBA-best .688 road winning percentage (22-10). Prior to this season, the Lakers were blotting out the Suns. They were 7-1 straight up in their previous eight against Phoenix.
Overall, LA is 1-5 SU through the past six games. The Lakers are 2-7-1 against the spread over their last 10 games. Phoenix is 6-1 SU over the past seven games and 5-2 ATS. The Suns are 4-2 ATS in their past six games when facing the Lakers.
Frank Vogel said if the Lakers compete like they competed in the last three quarters, he’s confident they can beat the Suns on Sunday.
— Christian Rivas (@RadRivas) May 8, 2021
LA has scored less than 100 points through six of the past 13 games. However, even through the rash of injuries they’ve suffered, the Lakers are maintaining the #1 defensive rating in the NBA. Phoenix is #7 in the NBA in offensive rating and sixth overall in defensive rating. The Lakers are 24th in offensive rating.
The total has gone over in Phoenix’s last five games and in the last five road games played by the Suns. On the other hand, the total went under in five of their last six visits to the Staples Center to play the Lakers. As well, the total has gone under in four of LA’s last six games.
Pick: Phoenix Suns -6 (-110)
This article contains links to external sports betting services. SBD may receive advertising revenue from these links, however editorial has hand-picked each individual link based on relevance to the article, without influence on the coverage.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
