Filip Tomic
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After a spectacular 12-game slate on Wednesday, the NBA returns on Thursday with a TNT doubleheader featuring a game from each conference. My focus is on the Suns vs Lakers game which tips off at 10:00 pm ET. I’ve prepared a Same Game Parlay which you can read below.
Don’t forget to also check out our NBA predictions for picks on the side and total for the Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks. Let’s dive into my SGP bet now!
LA Lakers ML (-220)
Austin Reaves to score 20+ points (+340)
LeBron James to record 6+ rebounds (-290)
Same Game Parlay odds: +635
LA Lakers ML (-220)
From being 1.5-point favorites, the line has now shifted to 6 points in favor of the Lakers following the news that Devin Booker is not playing. He carried the Suns on the road in their season opener against Golden State, so without him it’ll be all Kevin Durant on the offensive end for Phoenix. Bradley Beal is once again a game-time decision, and when you’re missing 2 of your 3 best players on the team it’s always tough. LA hung in decently with the Nuggets on Tuesday, but in the end the lack of production by Anthony Davis hurt them down the stretch. He should be able to perform better in front of the home fans, though. Going down 0-2 for the season is definitely something the Lakers will want to avoid, and dating back to last season they are 9-2 SU in their last 11 home games. I’m taking them on the money line.
Austin Reaves to score 20+ points (+340)
We’re just one game into the new season and already we have Anthony Davis displaying his inconsistency in full, as he went for a scoreless half against the Denver Nuggets in the opener. That kind of effort by the big man won’t take the Lakers far and with LeBron James being limited to just 29-30 minutes to start the season, Austin Reaves will have to step up and carry the load offensively. He had a solid scoring night with 14 points, despite going just 4-for-11 from the field. However, Reaves has had it going lately against the Suns, finishing with 25 and 22 points in the last 2 meetings between the teams, both played at Crypto.com Arena. In fact, if we expand our search to the last 5 games played against Phoenix, he is shooting a stunning 61.9% from the field and a respectable 35.7% from three. Add to that the fact that Booker won’t be playing, and I don’t see anyone on the Suns roster being able to slow down Reaves.
Check our our 76ers vs Bucks Same Game Parlay
LeBron James to record 6+ rebounds (-290)
I mentioned the minutes restriction for LeBron James earlier, but despite that he was arguably the best Laker in the opener against Denver on Tuesday. James stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, shooting 10-for-16 from the field. He also finished with a team-high +7 on the +/-, which indicates although he’s turning 39 soon, he is still making a big impact on his team. His defensive rebounding should be consistent this season, as he is past the point in his career of leaking out and running on fast breaks. Aside from maybe Jusuf Nurkic, the Suns don’t really have anyone bigger down low who could cause the Lakers problems on the glass. In the last 5 meetings with the Suns, James has cleared this line 4 times while averaging 6.2 rebounds per game.
Read our full Phoenix Suns vs LA Lakers predictions
