Suns vs Lakers Odds, Lines and Picks
- The Phoenix Suns are 1-point road favorites over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, October 22nd (10:10 pm ET)
- Phoenix fell at home in its season opener to Denver, while LA was beat on its home court by Golden State
- Read below for odds, analysis and a betting prediction
The opening week of the NBA season rolls on Friday with a 10-game slate, highlighted by a heavyweight tilt out West. The Phoenix Suns, last season’s Western Conference champions, visit the Los Angeles Lakers, the 2020 NBA champs, with both teams searching for their first victory.
Phoenix dropped its season opener on Wednesday 110-98 to Denver, while LA was defeated by Golden State 121-114 on opening night. This is a rematch of last season’s 1st Round playoff series that was won by the Suns in six games.
Suns vs Lakers Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix Suns | -115 | -1 (-115) | O 223 (-110) |
| Los Angeles Lakers | -105 | +1 (-105) | U 223 (-110) |
Odds as of Oct. 21st at DraftKings.
Phoenix actually opened as a 1-point underdog, but that line has done a complete 180. The Suns are now favored by 1, in a game that features a total of 223.
Neither team is dealing with any major injuries to their starting lineup early on, but while Phoenix’s roster is incredibly similar to last season, LA has added plenty of new, or you could say old, faces.
Lakers Struggle In Opener
The Lakers current roster looks like an all-NBA team from eight years ago. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook all in the starting lineup, with Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard coming off the bench.
"Get your head in the game, Westbrook!" 😂
The season's first edition of #Shaqtin didn't disappoint pic.twitter.com/Fp5dGbPq9c
— Shaqtin' a Fool (@shaqtin) October 20, 2021
Westbrook, the highest profile addition LA made in the offseason, struggled in his debut posting a -23 rating in 35 minutes. Normally a stat stuffer, he finished with just 8 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Anthony wasn’t much better, shooting just 33% from the field, while only James and Davis scored in double figures.
The dynamic duo racked up 34 and 33 points respectively, while both pulled down 11 rebounds. LA was as active as they were in the offseason in an effort to reduce some of the offensive burden from James and Davis, but that wasn’t the case in their season opener.
LeBron James tonight:
34 Points
11 Rebounds
5 Assists
2 Steals
56% FG
5 threes pic.twitter.com/aixUmxGksi— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 20, 2021
The Lakers lost the rebounding, assist and turnover battle to the Warriors and were outscored by 12 points in the paint. They shot 35.7% from three on 42 attempts, but missed 53% of their free throws.
Suns Let Nuggets Off the Hook
Phoenix meanwhile, blew a 16-point lead to Denver on Wednesday en route to defeat. They were outscored by 19 points in the second half, and went nearly five minutes without a bucket during a pivotal stretch in the final quarter.
Final. pic.twitter.com/6nMMvawVjg
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 21, 2021
Mikal Bridges led the way with 16 points, while Chris Paul put up 15 points and 10 rebounds. 2021 All-Star Devin Booker shot just 20% from the field on his way to a quiet 12 points, while Deandre Ayton chipped in only 2 points in the second half, after opening with 13 in the first 24 minutes.
Much like the Lakers, the Suns lost the rebounding and assist battle, and shot only 41% from the field. Last year, Phoenix ranked second in the NBA in shooting percentage (49%), and seventh from beyond the arc (37.8%).
Our newest decor.
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬#ValleyProud pic.twitter.com/ghfIO4SnBC
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 21, 2021
If they want to hang with LA on Friday they’ll need more production from Booker in particular. The stud shooting guard was instrumental in Phoenix’s postseason victory over the Lakers last spring, averaging 25 points and 8 boards per game.
Suns vs Lakers Pick
These were two of the top-seven scoring defenses last season, and with LA in particular still trying to figure things out rotation wise, we could see this matchup fall short of the total.
Phoenix’s opener came in 16 points below the total, while the Lakers were one of the better under teams to back all of last season. 61% of LA’s conference games went under the total, as did five of its six playoff meetings with the Suns.
Pick: Under 223 (-110)
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
