Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 12/5/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: TNT

Odds/Point Spread: Phoenix (+2)

The Phoenix Suns (12-8) are hitting the road to Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday where they will try to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers (12-9) in the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament. Phoenix opens this game as 2-point dogs. The over/under is set at 227.5.

The Suns faced the Grizzlies and took home the win by a score of 116-109 in their last game. Concerning personal fouls, the Suns ended up finishing with 21 and the Grizzlies recorded 31 personal fouls. They knocked down 9 out of their 31 attempts from three-point range. Memphis finished the game at 91.7% at the charity stripe by knocking down 22 of 24 attempts. Additionally, Memphis had 40 rebounds (8 offensive, 32 defensive) and added 5 rejections. Memphis earned 14 assists and had 9 steals in this matchup. With respect to defense, Phoenix allowed their opponent to shoot 45.3% from the floor on 39 of 86 shooting. They also doled out 24 assists for the contest in addition to forcing 15 turnovers and getting 10 steals. When talking about getting rebounds, they collected a total of 44 with 12 of them being of the offensive sort. From the free throw line, the Suns made 35 of 43 shots for a rate of 81.4%. Phoenix ended the contest having earned a 43.4% FG percentage (36 out of 83) and made 9 of 26 shots from 3-point land.

Devin Booker is one player who was a major factor in the matchup. Booker ended up shooting 42.9% from the floor and also dished out 7 assists. He was on the hardwood for 37 minutes played and snagged 10 rebounds. He left the arena with 34 points on 9 out of 21 shooting.

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Phoenix heads into this matchup with a record of 12-8 for the campaign. They average 116.2 points per contest (11th in the NBA) while going 47.1% from the floor. The Suns are shooting 38.4% on shots from distance (247 of 644) and 84.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Phoenix is snagging 44.1 boards per game and has 520 dimes on the year, which is 11th in the league in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 15.0 times per game and as a squad they commit 19.2 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on the defensive end, the Suns are able to force 12.7 turnovers every game and they draw 22.4 personal fouls. They relinquish 34.9% from 3-point land and they are 17th in the NBA in PPG from their opponents (113.3). The Suns defense is giving up a FG percentage of 46.3% (837 of 1,807) and they relinquish 40.9 boards per game as a team. They are ranked 14th in the NBA in allowing assists to the opposition with 498 conceded so far this season.

In their last game, the Lakers got the win with a final of 107-97 when they faced the Rockets. When talking about attacking the glass, Los Angeles allowed Houston to get 54 in all (11 on the offensive side). They finished the game shooting 35.5% from 3-point land by connecting on 11 of 31 and finished the contest at 14 of 18 from the free throw line (77.8%). The Lakers allowed the Rockets to make 36 out of their 89 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 40.4% in the game. At the conclusion of this game, the Lakers finished shooting 40 out of 89 from the field which gave them a rate of 44.9%. Concerning shooting from 3-point land, Los Angeles knocked down 8 out of 27 attempts (29.6%). They were able to knock down 19 of them for a rate of 70.4%. The Rockets committed 23 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Lakers to the charity stripe for 27 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 9 times, while getting 11 steals for the contest. The Lakers earned 39 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 48 in this game.

Anthony Davis ended up being a major contributor for the Lakers in this game. He buried 10 of 22 for the contest for a rate of 45.5%, and added 14 rebounds. Davis recorded 27 points in his 37 minutes on the court and totaled 3 dimes for the contest.

Los Angeles has a mark of 12-9 on the campaign. On the offensive side of the ball, the Lakers are shooting 48.7% from the floor, which is ranked 5th in the NBA. Los Angeles has scored 2,363 pts for the year (112.5 per contest) and they collect 44.1 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 26.2 times per contest (10th in basketball) and they are losing possession via turnover 14.9 times per game. The Lakers are responsible for committing 17.3 fouls every game and they shoot 76.8% from the charity stripe.

The Los Angeles defense gives up 36.2% on three-point shots (292 of 807) and their opponents are converting on 76.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have conceded 26.8 assists and 45.0 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 20th and 25th in the NBA. The Lakers on defense are ranked 18th in the league in points allowed per contest with 113.5. They are forcing 13.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 45.6% from the floor (8th in the NBA).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Los Angeles (-2)

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