Phoenix Hosts Lakers for Critical Game 5

The Suns (53-23 SU, 44-30-2 ATS) and Lakers (45-32, 34-42-1) are down to a best-of-three after Phoenix evened the first-round series Sunday with a win in LA. The Suns opened as 4.5-point favorites in Game 5 over the Lakers, who could be without Anthony Davis due to injury.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

What a difference a couple of days can make. The Davis injury and Chris Paul’s improved play on Sunday caused oddsmakers to open the Suns as 4.5-point favorites for Game 5 — nearly a 12-point adjustment from the betting line in Game 4.

Los Angeles News & Notes

Davis is likely a game-time decision after leaving Game 4 late in the first half with a strained groin, and he won’t be at full strength even if he does suit up. Fortunately for the Lakers, they’ve got plenty of experience playing without the eight-time all-star, who missed 36 games during the regular season due to various ailments. LA was 19-17 SU without Davis in the lineup.

However, the Lakers didn’t look very good Sunday after Davis left the contest, especially on offense. LA scored just 42 points in the second half, shooting 37.1 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from behind the arc. Kyle Kuzma started the second half in place of Davis and finished with 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting.

LeBron James told reporters Monday that he’ll just have to step up his game without Davis at full strength, noting he’s got broad shoulders for a reason. That’s easier said than done, however. In 18 games without Davis at his side this year, James’ scoring, assists and rebounding numbers were virtually identical to what they were when AD was in the lineup.

A bigger key for any Lakers’ success tonight, whether Davis plays or not, is some better shooting from behind the arc. LA, which ranked 21st in the NBA in three-point shooting this year, is shooting 29.1 percent from long range in the series.

“We’ve got to beat them with threes,” Dennis Schroder told the Los Angeles Times following Game 4, referring to Phoenix’s strategy of clogging up the paint.

Phoenix News & Notes

While the Lakers enter Game 5 concerned about the availability of one of their top players, the Suns are feeling a lot better about the status of their banged-up star. After considering sitting out Sunday’s Game 4 to rest his injured shoulder, Paul went out and delivered a team-high 18 points in 32 minutes, adding nine assists without committing a single turnover.

Phoenix’s bigger worry going into Game 5 might be Devin Booker, who has missed 32 of his 50 shots from the field over the last three games of the series and has failed to score 20 points in two consecutive games for just the third time all year. However, it’s worth noting that Booker has yet to go three straight games without breaking the 20-point plateau.

Fortunately for Phoenix, Booker’s teammates picked him up Sunday as six players scored in double figures. Jae Crowder broke out of a 2-for-20 slump from behind the arc by hitting three of his eight three-point attempts, and Deandre Ayton recorded his fourth straight double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds.

Betting Pick: UNDER 207.5

The Lakers have gone OVER in just six of their last 26 games against teams with winning records at home, and will likely look to slow the pace as much as possible once again.