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Belmont.com has the NBA betting line on the Suns vs. Lakers game at -8 in favour of Los Angeles. You can get all the updated odds here.
The Phoenix Suns head into the Staples Center tonight to start a home-and-home with the Lakers and Steve Nash and company would like to get it started on the right foot.
Belmont line and total: L.A. Lakers -8 and 185.5
The Lakers dominated in the only other meeting between these two this season as a 99-83 home win was enough to cover the 7.5 points they were laying at the time. Tonight the Lakers are giving up an extra half point as the Suns come into this meeting having lost three straight. L.A has won two straight and managed to show no ill-effects after a long road trip last time out in dismantling the Hawks by 12. L.A. is an old team though and with a compressed schedule this year there will be times when they lay a dud out on the floor. Could this be one of those times?
Well, the underdog is 5-2-1 ATS in the last eight meetings between the two and that includes the road team going 5-1-1 ATS in the last seven. L. A. is also 7-16-1 ATS in their last 23 against losing teams and have posted a 4-10-1 ATS mark in their last 15 divisional games. Everyone knows about Kobe’s hatred for the Suns after they knocked him out of the playoffs in 2007 and made sure he heard about it. In the earlier meeting this year Kobe dropped 48 on the Suns and was basically a one-man show out there. There is no doubt that he will try to do the same tonight and the Suns will be ready for it. Grant Hill is still one of the premier defenders in the league and has put it on himself to make sure Kobe doesn’t go off again. Hill needs to contribute more offensively (1-12 shooting last time), and if he can, Phoenix should be in this game until the end.
The Suns begin a nice homestand after this one but they don’t mind playing in the bright lights of Staples. They have won ATS two of the last three times they were there and that includes a SU win and a two-point triple overtime loss. They have got to be upset with themselves after choking away a 9-point halftime lead to Atlanta last time out and the professionalism and leadership on this team will emerge tonight against the Lakers. Eight points just seems like a bit too many to give Phoenix in this spot, unless Kobe goes off again.
Look for this game to be closer than most think as Phoenix hopes to go home with a potential upset win.
