Posted on
1/17/2008 5:18:32 PM
NBA Basketball Betting – Phoenix at LA Lakers
By Charles Jay
WHO: Phoenix Suns (26-12 SU, 15-22-1 ATS) at Los Angeles Lakers (26-11 SU, 21-15 ATS)
WHERE: Staples Center in Los Angeles
WHEN: Thursday, January 17 at 10:30 PM ET
BetUS NBA betting odds: PHOENIX -2, Total: 225.5
In the HEAD-to-HEAD NBA betting trends:
* LA has covered four of the last five meetings
* PHX has won 10 of the last 14 meetings SU
* Five of the last six meetings have gone OVER the total
* LA has covered six of the last nine games as the home team
* LA has won 18 of the last 25 meetings as the home team
* Five of the last six meetings at the Staples Center have gone OVER the total
* LA has held the shooting and rebounding edge in each of the last three meetings
Phoenix has fallen to second place in the NBA in field goal percentage, but is still hitting a robust 48.8% of its attempts. The Suns create points very well, chalking up 27.2 assists per game. And Phoenix throws in 8.9 shots per game from three-point range. Also:
* PHX has covered one of its last seven games
* PHX has won seven of its last 10 games SU
* PHX has played four of its last six games OVER the total
* PHX has lost four of its last six road games SU
The Lakers have done a great job in terms of outshooting their opponents. They are hitting 47.5% from the field, behind only Utah and Phoenix in the NBA's rankings, and are also third in the league in scoring at 107.8 points per game. At the same time they have managed to hold their opponents to just 43.9% shooting. Also:
* LA has won its last eight games SU
* LA has failed to cover its last three games
* LA has won nine of its last ten home games SU
* LA has played six of its last eight home games OVER the total
In the two meetings this team has had this season, the Lakers have shot 57% and 52% from the floor. That's outstanding. But one has to keep in mind that a major part of that success (resulting in two Laker victories) resided with Andrew Bynum, the 20-year-old center who is now out for possibly the next two months. Bynum had 28 points and 12 rebounds in the first meeting, and then turned around for 14 points and 13 rebounds in the next. In those games he shot an incredible 18-for-23 (78%) from the field.
What happened there was that the Suns had to all of a sudden worry about a big presence, a REAL presence on the inside, where they didn't have to before. Bynum's absence changes the dynamic of the Laker offense, so this shifts the advantage to Phoenix, which can now even extract an edge with Amare Stoudamire and Shawn Marion pounding the boards.
Los Angeles still has Kobe Bryant, and he's the superstar, obviously, but be on the lookout for a precipitous Laker drop-off. We'll lay the points on the road with Phoenix, the two-point favorite in the BetUS NBA basketball betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: PHOENIX
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(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com is a freelance writer and handicapper who not only can make his shots from the top of the key, but also contributes with gusto to the BetUS Locker Room)