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Arguably the match of the NBA In-Season Tournament quarter-finals is the showdown at the Crypto.com Arena between the LA Lakers and the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. Downtown LA is a good place to be at the best of times, but when there is a basketball showdown like this taking place, the excitement level goes off the scale. Here we look ahead to what promises to be a blockbuster match in our latest NBA betting picks.
- What; 2023/24 NBA In-Season Tournament Quarter-final
- Who; LA Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns
- Where; Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
- When; Tuesday, December 5th 2023
- Time; 10 pm ET
Road to the last eight
Everyone loves a bracket…
The NBA In-Season Tournament moves on to the Knockout Rounds!
Quarterfinals: Dec. 4 & 5
Semifinals: Dec. 7
Championship: Dec. 9 pic.twitter.com/7yoDMwe9Xe— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 29, 2023
The LA Lakers claimed their spot in the final eight teams competing to win the inaugural NBA Cup by topping the West Group A with four wins from four. The Lakers victories came against the Suns in Arizona (122-119), the Grizzlies in LA (134-107), the Trail Blazers in Portland (107-95), and the Jazz (131-99), also at home.
Topping the group has also given the Lakers home advantage in the last eight as they attempt to become the first team to win the NBA’s new In-Season Tournament.
As for the Suns, they qualified by claiming the Western Conference Wildcard. Phoenix won three out of their four matches, and along with their +34 points difference, this was enough to see them pip the Timberwolves to the final place. The Timberwolves did have an equal 3-1 record to the Suns. But they could only manage a level points difference.
The Suns three wins were away to the Jazz (131-128), at home to the Trail Blazers (120-107), and away to the Grizzlies (110-89). The home defeat to the Lakers cost Phoenix the top spot in the group.
And it wasn’t a huge shock, as Frank Vogel’s team have struggled at the Footprint Center this season. On home turf, the Suns are 5-5 this year. While on the road, Phoenix is 7-3.
They will need to sort their home form out if they are to compete with the likes of the Nuggets and the Kings at the business end of the season.
Betting to win the 2023 NBA Cup
In the betting to win the NBA Cup, the favorites at the time of writing were the Boston Celtics at +300. The Celtics were followed by the Milwaukee Bucks at +350. Sacramento was +550, with both the Lakers and the Suns at +575.
The three outsiders were the Indiana Pacers (+1000), the New Orleans Pelicans (+1200), and the New York Knicks (+1400). The odds with the best NBA Basketball betting sites will have changed by now, as the first two quarter-final matches took place overnight.
LA Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns Match Betting Odds
This is a close game between two very evenly matched-teams. In the Western Conference, only half a win separates the two franchises, with the Suns (12-8) fractionally ahead of the Lakers (12-9) courtesy of losing one game less.
In the match betting, the Lakers are favorites to win at -130 on the money line. The Suns are +110 to win again on the road.
On the handicap spread, the Suns have been given a 2-point head start. To win with the spread, Phoenix is -113 with BetOnline. You can still get -110 with Bovada and MyBookie. But you may need to move fast if the Suns are being backed for the win.
The best price on the Lakers to win and cover the spread is -107 with BetOnline. With Bovada and MyBookie, they are still at -110.
In the total points market, 227.5 is the magic number. Again, with BetOnline, there has been a movement in the betting with under 227.5 at -112. The same bookmaker has over 227.5 at -108. Bovada and MyBookie again have both over and under at -110.
If you are new to Basketball betting and struggling to make sense of all that, a quick visit to our how to bet on Basketball guide should help you understand things better. When you’ve done that, be sure to check out our Lakers vs. Suns basketball odds table for more betting options on the match. For our odds, we only use the top-rated NBA betting sites.
LA Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns Betting Picks
This is an incredibly hard match to pick the winner of. In their group match this season, the Lakers came out on top by a 122-119 scoreline. That smashed the total points spread of 227.5 set for tonight’s match.
On the night, the Suns raced into a nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter. The Lakers edged the second and third quarters, winning both by just a single point each. But then in the final quarter, LA put the Suns to the sword, winning it by ten points (33-23) to seal a three-point victory.
In four of the Lakers’ last five matches, over 227.5 points have been scored. The spread has been covered in three of the Suns’ last six matches. In a match that is so difficult to call a winner on, we feel that a bet on over 227.5 points is the best way to go, and that is our betting pick.
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