Bet Suns Lakers – Los Angeles Takes Advantage Of Suns’ Struggles

Phoenix’s sports betting odds revolve around their two-time MVP, but even he isn’t enough to halt the Suns’ slide down the Western Conference pecking order and he won’ t be enough on Friday night as Phoenix heads to Los Angeles to face the Lakers, who will be rested and waiting to block out this struggling Phoenix team.

What: NBA Betting
When: Friday, February 17th, 10:30 PM ET
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Pick: Los Angeles Lakers

Why Bet On Phoenix Suns (12-17 SU, 12-17 ATS)

The Suns will be trying to end a two-game skid at home against Atlanta on Wednesday, following a 109-92 loss in Denver and they were without Steve Nash and Grant Hill, who were both rested. Without Nash running the show, the Suns shot 33.3% from the field, they were outscored 25-13 on the fast break and the Nuggets ran over them in the paint by a score of 54-24, and it was a glimpse into what the team will look like when Nash leaves in the summer as a free agent, unless the Suns’ brass smarten up and trade him before the deadline. Markieff Morris came off the bench with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists before fouling out, while Michael Redd notched 20 points for the Suns, who had 20 of the game’s 44 turnovers, but the Nuggets did a much better job of taking advantage of Phoenix’s mistakes.

You can put that down to Nash’s (rest) absence, and outside of Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, you probably won’t find a point guard that controls their team more than Nash, but there is no point in him being in Phoenix anymore and it is going to be a story for the rest of the season. He should be back in action on Friday, along with Hill (rest), and that should be a boost to the offense, but it won’t help their defense. The Suns are trying to rebuild, but they’re not moving the piece that will accelerate their process; it is a strange time in the desert for NBA betting players following the Suns.

Why Bet On Los Angeles Lakers (17-12, 13-16 ATS)

The Lakers will be well rested after an 86-78 win over Atlanta at home on Tuesday, and Pau Gasol led the way with 20 points, 13 boards and four blocks, while Andrew Bynum was next with 15 points and 15 boards for the Lakers. Los Angeles used their size to dominate the paint, outscoring the Hawks 44-28 and they had a 52-47 edge on the glass, and this also helped a subpar night from Kobe Bryant, who had just 10 points. The defense also came to play as the Lakers held the Hawks to 34.4% from the field, and the defense was supposed to be like this with Mike Brown coaching the team. The Lakers are fourth in the league in points allowed, but the defense can be inconsistent at times. It was also a sloppy night at the foul line for both teams as the Lakers were only 4-of-9 (Bryant didn’t even get to the line once) and the Hawks were 9-of-14, and it wasn’t the prettiest game in the world to watch, but Los Angeles grinded out the victory and that is all that counts to this veteran team.

Bryant (wrist) said his injury is fully healed, although no doctors have confirmed this and even if it isn’t healed, Bryant’s injury hasn’t bothered him at all; chalk up his performance against the Hawks to a bad game. The Lakers have the luxury of going to the post when Bryant isn’t hitting his shots, and that has been a story over the last couple of seasons; should Bryant start taking fewer shots and deferring to Gasol and Bynum more? The consensus answer seems to be yes, but then again, Bryant leads the league in scoring. It’s going to be interesting to see how Brown handles this problem going forward.

How It Will Play Out

Los Angeles will be the NBA betting favorites at home, where they are 4-1 SU and 2-3 ATS in their last five against the Suns, with three games going over the posted total. The Lakers are 9-5 ATS at home this season, while the Suns are 8-9 ATS on the road.

This will be the first half of a home-and-home between the two Western Conference rivals, and the Suns have to contend with the Lakers’ size, which is tough for any team to handle, but the Suns aren’t necessarily a team that is going to bang with you, outside of Marcin Gortat. But even if they’re going inside, Bryant is going to get his shots and after a poor night against Atlanta, he’ll pick up his game on Friday night. Wager on the Los Angeles Lakers to cruise to a win in your online betting picks.