The Los Angeles Lakers (34-23) and Phoenix Suns (33-26) will face off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 9:00 p.m. ET from the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The game will broadcast live on SportsNet LA.
The Lakers are 5-point favorites over the Suns on the spread (Lakers -5), with the over/under set at 218 total points. Los Angeles is a -205 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Phoenix is +170 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Lakers vs. Suns predictions and NBA picks for Thursday, February 26.
Lakers vs Suns Prediction
- Lakers vs Suns pick: Lakers -5 (-110)
My Suns vs. Lakers best bet is on Los Angeles to cover the spread at -5. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Lakers vs Suns Odds
| Lakers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-5 -110 | 218 -110o / -110u | -205 |
| Suns Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5 -110 | 218 -110o / -110u | +170 |
Lakers vs Suns NBA Preview
You are not going to find market ratings that match this number. No realistic model is going to tell you to back the Lakers in this spot based on season-long data, because the Suns have been very good.
Our Action PRO model projects the spread for this game at Lakers -3.5, which gives the Suns +5.5 a grade of a B- in our database; a solid edge. However, this is a completely depleted version of this Suns team. So, you have to make the proper manual adjustments.
No Devin Booker nor Dillon Brooks for Phoenix is this game.
That's massive against this Lakers team, which is coming off back-to-back bad losses; one late to Orlando, and then they got blown out by Boston without scoring much at all.
The trip from L.A. to Phoenix is very easy travel, so I'm not concerned about the road angle here. It's a simple spot after a homestand.
Lakers vs Suns Predictions, Betting Analysis
The Lakers run their offense entirely through wings.
Luka Doncic is technically a guard, but he's really a 6-foot-8 wing. Austin Reaves plays off-ball on the wing. LeBron James is a wing who slides into frontcourt spots.
Without Brooks and Booker, the Suns are going to struggle to match up against the Lakers' wings in this spot. There's going to be a massive disparity in talent out there.
The Lakers also have the perimeter defense — especially with Smart — to guard Colin Gillespie, Jalen Green, or anyone the Suns are going to have tonight.
Matchup-wise, this is just a great spot for the Lakers.
This Suns team has been trash lately for that exact reason. They have scored totals of 81 and 77 points in their last two games.
There's a little Deandre Ayton revenge-game angle too. There might also be a little Mark Williams "you failed my physical" revenge angle. So, I think that nets out neutral.
Give me the Lakers -5 against the Suns tonight.
Pick: Lakers -5 (-110)
