Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 12/21/2021 NBA Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Location: STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA

TV: TNT

The Phoenix Suns (24-5) are headed to STAPLES Center on Tuesday where they will compete against the Los Angeles Lakers (16-15).

The Suns stepped onto the hardwood against the Hornets and notched a win by a score of 137-106 in their last game. Phoenix walked away from the game having earned a 56.8% FG percentage (54 out of 95) and made 20 of their 41 3-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Suns converted 9 of 13 tries for a rate of 69.2%. When discussing pulling down boards, they collected 57 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 35 dimes in this contest while forcing 6 turnovers and having 5 steals. Regarding the defense, Phoenix allowed their opponent to shoot 36.0% from the field on 36 out of 100 shooting. Charlotte doled out 43 dimes and had 26 steals for the contest. Additionally, Charlotte pulled down 30 rebounds (13 offensive, 17 defensive) and had 8 rejections. Charlotte finished shooting 85.7% at the charity stripe by converting 24 of their 28 tries. They knocked down 10 of 45 shots from distance. When discussing fouls, the Suns ended up walking away with 21 while the Hornets totaled 9 fouls.

Deandre Ayton is one player who was a contributor in this contest. Ayton walked away from this one shooting 60.0% from the floor and also totaled 2 assists. He saw the court for 24 minutes and also grabbed 15 boards. He ended up with 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting.

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Phoenix heads into this game with a win-loss record of 24-5 this season. They are turning it over 14.0 times per contest and as a group they commit 19.4 personal fouls per contest. As a team, Phoenix is grabbing 45.8 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 764 dimes for the season, which has them ranked 7th in basketball in terms of passing the rock. The Suns are shooting 36.8% on shots from distance (331 of 900) and 78.8% from the free throw line. They are averaging 111.9 points per contest (3rd in the league) while connecting on 47.8% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Suns are forcing 15.6 turnovers per contest and they draw 19.1 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 4th in the NBA in giving up assists to their opponents with 655 relinquished so far this year. The Suns defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 43.6% (1,134 of 2,603) and they relinquish 45.7 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They concede 33.8% on shots from distance while they are 4th in the NBA in points per game allowed (104.6).

When they last stepped on the court, the Lakers went home defeated by a final of 115-110 against the Bulls. Regarding cleaning the glass, Los Angeles permitted Chicago to snag 27 in all (16 on the offensive side). They shot 33.3% from three-point range by shooting 10 of 30 and ended up going 25 out of 31 at the free throw line (80.6%). The Lakers allowed the Bulls to convert 40 out of 93 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 43.0% for the matchup. In all, the Lakers ended up shooting 42 for 82 from the field which had them shooting 51.2%. When it comes to shots from distance, Los Angeles made 12 out of 34 tries (35.3%). They were able to bury 14 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 63.6%. The Bulls earned 10 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Lakers to the charity stripe for a total of 22 tries. They also turned the ball over 19 times, while earning 6 steals for the matchup. The Lakers were able to snag 37 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards totaling 46 for the game.

LeBron James pitched in for the Lakers in the matchup. James had 31 points in his 39 minutes of playing time and totaled 6 assists for the matchup. He knocked down 11 of 21 for this game for a field goal percentage of 52.4%, and had 14 rebounds.

Los Angeles has a win-loss mark of 16-15 for the season. The Lakers are responsible for committing 20.2 personal fouls per game and they hit 72.8% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 24.5 times per game (11th in the NBA) and they cough up possession 16.1 times per game. Los Angeles has totaled 3,424 points so far this season (110.5 per game) and they snag 46.0 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Lakers are connecting on 46.4% from the field, which ranks 7th in the NBA.

The Lakers defensively are ranked 27th in the league in PPG given up with 111.3. They have forced 15.5 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 44.4% from the floor (10th in basketball). The Los Angeles defense allows 33.4% from downtown (391 of 1,169) and opponents are making 73.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 25.1 dimes and 47.6 boards per contest, which is 25th and 28th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Phoenix

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