NBA Preview: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns Predictions & Preview

It’s all-or-nothing for the Lakers’ play-in quest when they take on the Suns in Phoenix. Will they keep

Catch this game live on April 6, at 10:30 AM, Manila time.

Away: Los Angeles Lakers (31-47, 11-27 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

PG: Russell Westbrook
SG: Avery Bradley
SF: LeBron James (questionable)
PF: Anthony Davis (questionable)
C: Dwight Howard

It’s most likely chance saloon for the Lakers, as losing any of their final four games will mean that the San Antonio Spurs only need to win one of theirs to guarantee a play-in berth. With the Spurs going up the Nuggets on the same day, the Lakers will take solace knowing that the Spurs will probably lose that game. The only scenario that the Lakers have toward the play-ins is to go 4-0 and for the Spurs to go 1-3 or 0-4. No other permutation of records really gives them a shot at trying to make the postseason through the tournament.

Still, we’re treading into the realm of the impossible now, considering how the Lakers have performed in the second half of the season. Now, they face the prospect of effectively being eliminated from the play-ins by the same team that sent them home in the first round last year.

There are so many questions, from whether or not LeBron James even plays. James has made some suspicious choices to avoid tough teams to preserve his lead for the scoring title recently, and this might be another one of those games. Anthony Davis is also listed as questionable, since he tweaked his foot again against the Nuggets.

It’s hard to see what they could possibly gain, because the listless Lakers have had a beaten look to them for weeks. They’re 12-13 ATS as away underdogs this season and 45-33-0 on the over/under.

Home: Phoenix Suns (62-16, 31-8 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

PG: Chris Paul
SG: Devin Booker
SF: Mikal Bridges
PF: Jae Crowder
C: DeAndre Ayton

The Phoenix Suns have been, by far, the best team in the NBA this season. They’ve been a model of consistency too and have identical home and away records at 31-8.

They have a very clean injury report heading into the game, but don’t count on any of their starters getting heavy minutes especially if the Lakers sit two of their three big names. The Suns have succeeded with a ‘next man up’ approach all season, and Monty Williams may choose to give players like Landry Shamet, Cam Johnson, Bismack Biyombo, Ish Wainwright and Elfrid Payton more game time in the leadup to the postseason.

The Suns are 21-17 ATS as home favorites this season. They’re 41-37-0 on the over/under.

PREDICTION:

Spread: The Suns, from their starters to their bench, are the superior team. I like them to cover the -11.5 spread.

Over/Under: I like the over 231.5 for this game.

Comments

Bill Russell Once Explained Why He Didn't Bother With Celtics Fans: "When I Was A Star, The Fans Called Us The 'Boston Globetrotters' Because The Celtics Had Black Players."

While the NBA is a beacon for freedom and tolerance in America, things didn't start off that way. In a place like Boston, during the 50s and 60s, racial tension was a pretty serious problem, and superstar big man Bill Russell had to deal with it on a game-to-game basis. Today, it can be hard for us to imagine just how difficult being a black basketball player really was back then. Fortunately, we have some clips: "The number one paper was the Boston Herald and they didn't like the idea of an NBA team having black players. Out there, the star was Bob Cousy. No matter what I did, Cousy was the star. I remember I had a game where I had 25 points, 25 rebounds, 10 blocks, and the Boston Herald said I was lucky to play with Cousy." Unfortunately, the media didn't give Russell his respect back then. Despite being the best player on the court, and on his team, Cousy and others always got the spotlight. Even the fans weren't very accepting of Bill: "I didn't...

From Deep: At long last, Nikola Jokic's Nuggets can envision getting to the top of the mountain

Jamal Murray tore his ACL on April 12, 2021. Leading up to that night, he'd been playing at an All-NBA level for two months: In a 25-game stretch, Murray averaged 24.1 points on .509/.459/.935 shooting splits, 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists. He was even more efficient than he was in the bubble playoffs, and his defense had improved, too. Murray only got to play with Aaron Gordon, the Denver Nuggets' big trade-deadline addition, for five games. They won them all except the one in which Murray got injured. In 110 minutes, their new starting five scored slightly more efficiently than any iteration of the Kevin Durant-era death lineup in Golden State and defended like a top-five team. Two Nikola Jokic MVP awards later, Murray is back. So is Michael Porter Jr., who signed a five-year extension about a year ago and needed back surgery nine games into the 2020-21 season. The Nuggets remember how easily everything slid into place with Gordon in the mix. Newcomer Kentavious Caldwell-Pop...

Sixers' James Harden backs teammate Joel Embiid for MVP: 'He deserves it, man'

James Harden has been a member of the Philadelphia 76ers for less than two months, but that's been more than enough time for him to appreciate the brilliance of Joel Embiid. The duo is expected to help the Sixers compete for a championship, but Harden believes another trophy should be on its way to Philly this year. In an interview with Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Harden backed Embiid for MVP, saying "he deserves it, man." "I've only been here for a few weeks, but I already see his mindset," Harden said. "He wants to win. Some guys just want numbers, but he has both. He has the mentality of winning, and he scores the ball at a high level. I think he's prepared himself, especially coming off last year, for this year to be one of his best years." This has indeed been one of Embiid's best years. He's averaging a career-high 29.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.4 blocks while shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 35.8 percent f...

Crossover World

Search This Blog