Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, Betting Tips Match Preview - NBA October 29, 2024

As the Phoenix Suns enter this game looking like a much stronger contender this season, they face off against a Lakers team that has revitalized their game under head coach J.J. Reddick. With the Suns coming off a 114-102 victory against the Dallas Mavericks and the Lakers winning back-to-back games the day before yesterday, it will be interesting to see which squad keeps their streak going. This game will be played on October 29th at 7:30 A.M. IST in Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. Below are our betting odds, key injuries, player props, and predictions for this big-time matchup. 

Key Betting Tips & Predictions

1. Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers Moneyline Pick

As we look at this matchup, many people would look at the Lakers winning three straight and think this is a cake-walk game for them. But, the key factor in this game will be if the Suns can replicate how they closed out in the 2nd half against the Mavs similarly to this game. As their last matchup included giving up a 15+ point lead during the 2nd and 3rd quarters, this team will be motivated to fix those issues. Looking at them head to head as well, the Suns have found ways to dominate the Lakers and find their weaknesses before their last matchup. If they can keep doing that and the Jarred Vanderbilt injury could continue affecting their perimeter defense, the Suns should win this game on their -156 money line. 

2. Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers Point Spread Pick

The Lakers have covered the spread 3 times this season so far, while the Suns have only managed to do it once in three attempts. But, with such a small sample size, looking at last year’s 46.5% gives a bigger story in this team’s home game spread. Having done it less than half the time and playing at home this time around, the Suns who already covered it once on the road will try to do it again. Even though Phoenix wasn’t very strong at covering it last season, they did both times against the Lakers and had a 2.2 MOV even though they were bottom three in ATS stats last year. 

3. Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers Over/Under Pick (Total Points)

As the over/under for this matchup is at 226.5 for both teams, it is currently at -110 that this will go over. With both squads having really strong offenses that can shoot threes and create screens, a lot of scoring should be expected in this game. Even though their defenses have been pretty solid this year, the star-studded lineups will take over and score a lot during this matchup. With the Lakers averaging 118 points a game so far this season, while the Suns are at 112, there will be a variety of shots and buckets during this matchup. 

Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers Top Player Props

Here are some of the players betters should keep an eye on during the Suns vs Lakers matchup. 

Over/Under 22.5 Points For Lebron James at 1.88: As this is anticipated to be a shoot-out of a matchup, Lebron James should exceed his 23.0 points per game season average. Given that he will be out there for over 30 minutes, the ability to drive into the lane and dominate either the half-injured Bradley Beal or Jusuf Nurkic will give him great mismatches. As KD will be shifting to stick on Rui Hachimura or out toward Dalton Knecht, Lebron will have a lot of room to maneuver between the perimeter and paint. 

Over/Under Points and Assists For D’Angelo Russell Is 19.5 at 1.83: With Tyus Jones guarding D’Angelo Russell, he will probably have a quiet offensive night, but his passing ability is something that has always been solid no matter who it’s against. Although he is averaging 5.0 assists this season, he will pick up as the Lakers can create a lot of perimeter chances against a Suns defense that can be vulnerable to these situations. In addition, since this game will require guards to make a ton of plays down the stretch, he can run pick and rolls to take Jones out of the play while just being left one-on-one with Nurkic. 

Over/Under For Rebounds, Points, Assists For Bradley Beal is 24.5 at 1.9: As Bradley Beal is one of the best all-around players who can move from point guard to small forward with ease, he will be a key component in the scoring department once again. Expecting him to put in a ton of points and also find Kevin Durant or Devin Booker for mid-range baskets fading away from the rim, there should be anticipation for him to have a heavy stat line. His rebounding ability will come key when he might have to drop down to support Nurkic in the paint when having to defend the more athletic guards. 

Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers Injury News & Impact

Suns Injuries: Looking at the Suns roster, Josh Okogie has been ruled out against the Lakers with a hamstring injury. As someone who is very aggressive and can crash the glass and shoot at a solid pace, 42% from the field last year, they will miss him as another key piece of the bench. With Bradley Beal, 19.5 points this season, day-to-day with an elbow injury, it will be important to keep an eye on his status as he can provide a lot of scoring and defense to this squad. 

Lakers Injures: Meanwhile, Los Angeles Lakers will once again be without Jarred Vanderbilt due to that foot injury. Someone who provided this squad with defense, 1.2 steals, his presence at the wings could be missing as he can create traps against other big-time shooting teams like the Suns. Although the Lakers have managed to figure it out without him throughout the last couple of years since he has missed a lot of time, his ability to pick-pocket ball handlers would be a key component for this Lakers team to win. 

Head-to-Head Trends

As the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers have faced each other 3 times in the 2024 calendar year, Phoenix holds a 2-1 lead in victories. Just playing this past week, the Lakers ended their two-game losing streak against this squad as they came back to win 123-116. But, Phoenix managed to beat the Lakers by a combined average of 14 points in their wins compared to just 7 for Los Angeles. It will be very interesting to see if the Lakers can get back into full form and have a similar run like 2023 where they didn’t lose a single game to Phoenix. 

Betting Insights & Public Trends

At the moment, the public trend says that the Phoenix Suns have a 58% of winning this game, while Los Angeles has just a 42% chance. The Lakers have a 42.6% chance(2.35) to cover their +3.5 spread, while the Suns are at 60.9% to cover their -156 spread. 

Final Prediction

Our pick for this game is the Phoenix Suns because of their ability to play strong on the road while having a much younger squad that has shown great bursts. Even though the Lakers had massive victories against the Suns and Nuggets, they are also about to play their 3rd game in 4 nights on a roster whose average age is over 29. Especially with the improvement of guys like Devin Booker and a full-time role for both Bradley Beal plus Tyus Jones on defense, this unit can slow down a Lakers unit that can go ice-cold sometimes in games. Stopping Lebron James and Anthony Davis will be two of the biggest keys in this matchup, which could force guys like Rui Hachimura or Austin Reaves to take a lot more shots than usual. But, if the Lakers come down with force and all the energy they have in the tank until a long rest, this could end up being a very different game