Filip Tomic
The Lakers are aiming to end a 4-game slide as they host the Phoenix Suns in the early tip-off this Sunday. Catch the game live from 3.30 pm ET on ABC, I’ve prepared a Same Game Parlay to enhance your viewing experience. Get predictions on the side and total for Sunday’s slate on our NBA Picks page but now let’s take a look at my Suns vs Lakers SGP!
Austin Reaves to Score 20+ Points (-260)
Luka Doncic to Record 8+ Rebounds (-188)
Kevin Durant to Score 25+ Points (-166)
Devin Booker to Record 6+ Assists (-310)
Same Game Parlay odds: +326
Austin Reaves to Score 20+ Points (-260)
Luka Doncic will do the heavy lifting scoring-wise, we all know that. However, the Lakers need a proper 2nd scoring option in order to beat these Suns and I’m looking at Austin Reaves to step up. With Reaves it’s not a question of can he do it, but whether or not he will get the opportunity to do it. We just saw him have a breakout game against the Denver Nuggets where he scored 37 points and dished out 13 assist with the likes of Doncic and LeBron James being out. He’s now scored 20+ in back-to-back games, while over his last 8 he’s averaging 19.4 on almost 40% shooting from deep. The Suns have been one of his favorite opponents this season – in 3 meetings he’s averaging 21.3 points per game on 56% from the field and 54% from downtown.
Luka Doncic to Record 8+ Rebounds (-188)
After torturing the Milwaukee Bucks for 45 points, Doncic decided to take the game off in Denver on a 2nd night of a back-to-back which means he should be relatively fresh for Sunday’s game. March has by far been his most productive month of the season – he’s averaging 32 points, 8.7 rebounds and 9 assists per game. Interestingly enough, if we dissect his numbers day by day, Sunday is his best day of the week by a landslide – he’s at 33.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game on this day. His history with the Suns is well documented, whenever he and Devin Booker share the same court the intensity tends to go up. The last 5 meetings against Phoenix have seen Doncic average 39 points, 8 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game. A similar stat line might be needed for his Lakers to stand a chance here, as they continue life without LeBron James.
Kevin Durant to Score 25+ Points (-166)
Even at the age of 36, KD is still putting up big numbers, ranking 6th in the NBA in scoring at 26.7 points per game. Players with his kind of consistency are a rare find these days in the NBA, Durant is at 25.7 points per game in his last 10 outings on an efficient 50% from the field and almost 48% from three. He also knocks down his free throws at almost 88%, there’s really no flaw on offense for KD at the moment. In 3 meetings with the Lakers this season he’s at 27.7 points per game with his efficiency from the field going up to 57.4%. That could be a result of the Lakers’ struggles on the inside so Durant is able to attack the basket more often than he normally does. That should be his recipe in Sunday’s game as well, LA is giving up 49.2 points per game inside the paint this season which ranks only 18th. He has cleared this line in 12 of 20 meetings, while averaging 27.2 points per game.
Devin Booker to Record 6+ Assists (-310)
A lot has been said about Devin Booker and his performances for the Suns, he is definitely not the reason for the struggles this team has endured this year. With no proper point guard on the roster, Booker has taken it upon himself to become the main ball distributor and he’s done a very solid job at it. For the season he’s at 6.9 assists per game, which ties a career high set last season. He has upped that number to 7.7 over the past 10 games, which is a good indicator that Booker is trying his best to get his teammates involved. He just had 13 dimes in the win over Sacramento, clearing this line for the 12th time in 14 games. The Lakers allow the 21st highest number of assists this season at 27.1 per game, so I expect Booker to reach his season average here. He’s also at exactly 6 dimes per game in the last 10 meetings with the Lakers.
