The Los Angeles Lakers head into game two, being down 0-1 after losing 90-99 on Sunday. The dynamic duo of Lebron James and Anthony Davis were only able to combine for 31-points, three points less than the Sun’s SG Devin Booker. To the Lakers’ credit, holding the Phoenix Suns to under 100 points is no easy feat. The only downfall was the offense looked out of sync the entire night, which led to them scoring well under their average points per game.
Aside from the low score, game one went perfectly for the Phoenix Suns, and they’ll look to repeat the same performance on Tuesday. SG Devin Booker gave the Lakers hell on Sunday, scoring thirty-one points and shot 50% from the field. C Deandre Ayton added 21-points along with 16-rebounds. Helping the Suns outrebound the Lakers, 47-33.
The Suns proved to be the best team in the Western Conference over the course of the season, and their dominance seems to be showing in the playoffs as well. The points spread remains small in this one making it nearly a straight-up game. Will Lebron & Co. bounce back in game two, or will Devin Booker overwhelm the Lakers guards again?
If the Lakers can’t get their offense in sync, Tuesday will be an encore of game one
Understandably, Lebron James can’t do it all on his own anymore. His age-defying ability can only go so far, which is why they worked so hard to bring in PF Anthony Davis in the first place. On Sunday, the Lakers’ offense looked more disoriented than ever before, shooting 43.4% from the field and 26.9% from the three-point line.
In order for them to not fall to 0-2 in the series, Los Angeles will need to do better at utilizing Anthony Davis. Davis is essentially the size of a Center but with the mobility and shooting of a Small Forward. If they continue to rely on Lebron James to carry the team, Los Angeles could be out of the playoffs in as few as five games.
As if the Suns needed more motivation, they come in as 2.5-point underdogs
It’s strange to think that the best team in the Western Conference is coming in as even slight underdogs here. With a 28-9 home record, it’s far past time the Phoenix Suns are taken seriously. Devin Booker has shown to be one of the most prolific guards, and nobody on the Lakers team could stop him on Sunday.
Over the course of the season, the Phoenix Suns were great at the sportsbook, going 43-28-2. Coming in as 2.5-point underdogs should give bettors that much more confidence as the clearly better team is actually getting points given to them.
Who to take on Tuesday: Phoenix Suns +2.5
If this were a “win-or-go-home” situation for the Lakers and they were playing at home, I’d be more apt to take Los Angeles here. However, their inability to deal with Devin Booker leads me to believe they’ll struggle to stop the phenom in game two. Look for the Suns to take another one at home before heading to Los Angeles, Phoenix Suns +2.5.
