- The Phoenix Suns won Game 1 of their series against the Los Angeles Lakers, 99-90.
- The Lakers are favored in Game 2, with -130 odds to win the game.
- The series is a pick ‘em right now, with both teams having -110 odds to win it.
LAS VEGAS - The Phoenix Suns took down the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of their first round series.
The Suns stymied the Lakers en route to a 99-90 victory that saw Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton combine for 55 of the Suns’ 99 points.
The Lakers came out flat, showing every sign of the nagging injuries that are currently plaguing Lebron James and Anthony Davis.
James put up a respectable 18 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds, and was the only Laker starter with a positive plus/minus during the game.
Davis, on the other hand, was a corpse, putting up 13 points, seven rebounds, and 2 assists in 39 minutes, and had the worst plus/minus on the team with -18.
Lebron can have relatively quiet games like that if other players on the team are picking up the slack, but when Davis goes that cold, there’s nobody else who can reasonably carry the team.
In Game 2, the Lakers are mild favorites on the online sportsbooks, but if Davis plays like that again, they’re going to be in serious trouble.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns - Game 2 Moneyline
- Los Angeles Lakers -130
- Phoenix Suns +110
The Lakers being given -130 odds after the egg they laid in Game 1 is not particularly unsurprising, as LeBron James is enough to make bettors confident in wagering on them.
It’s worth noting that both James and Davis had to go pretty cold in order for the Suns to pick up game 1 - those who are confident in the Lakers are not necessarily incorrect.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns - Game 2 Spread
- Los Angeles Lakers -2.0 (-105)
- Phoenix Suns +2.0 (-115)
A two point spread! With shading towards the underdog! This spread absolutely screams uncertainty. The sports betting markets simply don’t know how to evaluate this situation, and it’s relatively unprecedented in NBA history. The seventh seed has only won the series against the second seed one time since the first round became seven games long.
That was in 2010, when the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Dallas Mavericks. The catch is that Spurs team was only five games back of the Mavs.
This series has the arguably better team as the seventh seed, but the two best players on that team appear to not be at 100%.
Right now, the series odds are a pick ‘em:
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns - Series Odds
- Los Angeles Lakers -110
- Phoenix Suns -110
In this series, anything could happen, and it could truly go either way.