Phoenix Suns at L.A. Lakers Betting Odds


Opening Betting Lines: Suns +6 / Lakers -6 / O/U 210.5

Tonight in the first game of the Western Conference finals the defending champion L.A. Lakers host the Phoenix Suns. Both teams had no problem getting to the finals, as each swept their last series. The Suns will have to play a run-and-gun style to win this series and the Lakers need to keep winning in the paint to win the series. Each team has had over a week to get ready for this series.

This season the Lakers were 34-7 at home and 34-46-2 ATS and the Suns were 22-19 on the road and 47-34-1 ATS.

In their last games, both in series ending sweeps, the Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 111-96 last Monday and the Suns beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-101 last Sunday.

The Lakers have the 7-foot duo of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol and those guys were both money in L.A.'s last series. The Suns need to man-up on them and keep these guys from scoring easy buckets in the paint and dominating the boards. The Suns will get C Robin Lopez back for this series and they need his inside D against the Lakers' big men.

The Lakers have to play good perimeter defense and not allow Steve Nash and Jason Richardson to bomb away from deep. Interesting fact in that Nash has played the most post-season games (112) without a finals' appearance.

The Lakers beat the Suns in 3 of 4 regular season games this season.

Kobe Bryant will get his points, but the Suns need to keep the other Lakers, especially Gasol, Bynum, Lamar Odom, and Ron Artest, from having big scoring games.

The Suns have to run and score since they only ranked 26th in the league in opponents' points allowed (105.3 ppg).

If the Lakers can slow down the pace of the game and make it a half court game they have a huge advantage in this game.

The Lakers have yet to lose at home this post-season.

Betting Trends

Phoenix is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games, 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 playoff games as an underdog, and has an Under record of 7-1 in their last 8 road games.

L.A. is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games, 5-11-1 ATS in their last 17 home games, and has an Over record of 3-0-1 in their last 4 games.

The home team is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 games between these 2 teams.

Our Selection : Take the Lakers -6 at SportsInteraction.


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