Pacific Division foes will collide when the Phoenix Suns (5-4) play the Los Angeles Lakers (2-8) at the US Airways Center. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Monday, Nov. 16 and can be seen on TWC and FAZ.
The Suns enter this game hoping for similar success after blowing out the Nuggets 105-81 on Saturday. Eric Bledsoe was the game’s leading scorer with 30 points on 11-for-16 shooting. The Lakers, meanwhile, are coming off a 97-85 win against the Pistons on Sunday. Kobe Bryant played well for Los Angeles, accounting for 17 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds.
This one isn’t expected to be close when the Suns, a big 10-point favorite, take on the Lakers. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 209 points for this matchup. The Suns have gone 5-4 Straight Up (SU) and 6-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 5-3 SU and 6-2 ATS against the Western Conference. The Suns have no trouble scoring as they rank fourth in the league in offense with 104.2 points per game. The rebounding edge goes to the Suns in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the league with an average of 48.2 boards per game.
As for their opponent, the Lakers have a record of 4-6 ATS and 2-8 SU. Against the Western Conference, Los Angeles is pretty unsuccessful with a 0-5 SU and ATS record. The Lakers average 104.1 points allowed per game, but does worse whenever an Western Conference opponent is on the schedule, bringing that points allowed average up to 111.4 against teams from the West.
The divisional foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Phoenix won the last game in the matchup, bumping its SU record to 8-2 over the Lakers in their last 10 meetings. The Suns also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-2-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Pho, ATS Winner – Pho, O/U – Under
Notes
Phoenix is 6-14 SU in its last 20 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Phoenix’s last 25 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Phoenix’s last 18 games at home.
Phoenix is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Phoenix is 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 games when playing LA Lakers.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Phoenix’s last 6 games when playing LA Lakers.
Phoenix is 8-1 SU in their last 9 games when playing LA Lakers.
Phoenix is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against LA Lakers.
LA Lakers are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Phoenix.
Phoenix ranks fourth in points per game with 104.2, while Los Angeles ranks 22nd in points allowed with an average of 104.1 given up.
Los Angeles ranks 24th in points allowed per road game (103.5 PPG), while Phoenix ranks third in points per home game with 106.3.
In its last game, Phoenix won by a 24-point margin. Los Angeles is 0-1 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Phoenix has a 3-1 record in blowouts.
Los Angeles is an even 2-2 when allowing fewer than 100 points in a game. With a 0-3 record, Phoenix is winless when scoring less than 100.
Los Angeles has not won a game this season (0-6) when allowing 100 or more points. On the other hand, Phoenix has an exceptional 5-1 record when it reaches the century mark.
The Lakers have an offensive rating of 97.5 (ranked 28th), while the Suns rank ninth for their defensive rating of 98.6.
The Phoenix Suns average a field goal percentage of 44.0% this season. The Los Angeles Lakers are a winless 0-5 when opponents have a FG% of 44.0% or greater.
Phoenix averages 25.0 three point attempts per game, and Los Angeles attempts 26.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Suns are even at 2-2 while the Lakers are winless at 0-6.
The Los Angeles Lakers rank a lowly 24th, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.35. The Phoenix Suns have an even lower A/TO, 1.10, and are ranked 30th.
The Phoenix Suns are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 48.2 rebounds per game (ranked second). The Los Angeles Lakers rank 18th, rebounding 43.9 times each game.
Phoenix is ranked fourth in defensive rebounds, while Los Angeles ranks 21st in offensive rebounds.
The Lakers’ opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 11.2% this season. The Phoenix Suns have a solid 5-3 record when their TOV% is 11.2% or higher.
