The chances of Phoenix upsetting the Lakers in basketball betting may depend upon a player you haven’t heard of. Robin Lopez is the Phoenix center and he is hoping to return from a bulging disk in his back. The Lakers are the favorites against the Suns in the Western Conference Finals and if Lopez is not able to play they could be an even bigger favorite in NBA betting.
Basketball betting odds favor the Lakers in the series by about a 3-1 margin and the Lakers are a 6.5 point favorite in Game 1 on Monday. Lopez is a key player for Phoenix since the Lakers have two big men that are tough to stop. Pau Gasol simply dominated Utah in the last series and Andrew Bynum also played well. If the Suns don’t have Lopez then they have to rely upon Amare Stoudemire to play defense and that is simply not going to happen. “We’d love to have Robin playing, but if he’s not we’re not going to concede the series.” Phoenix head coach Alvin Gentry said. The Suns seemed optimistic that Lopez would be ready. “We have six more days, and we feel good that if his progress continues, then I think he’ll be able to play,” Gentry said.
The Suns realize that they are going to have a tough time scoring inside with Bynum and Gasol clogging things up. They are hoping to hit shots with their big men from the outside. “It’s going to be hard to get points in the paint,” Stoudemire said. “But the problem I’m going to give them is that it’s really tough for them to guard me on the wing.” The problem for Phoenix in this NBA betting series may not be on offense but on defense. They not only have to contain Kobe Bryant but they have to deal with the Lakers size. “Kobe is a big challenge, but just the length they have is what bothers me, and it’s what bothers every team they play,” he said. “But on the flip side of that, we do a very good job of spreading the floor and making them guard out on the floor.”
Kobe has scored 30 points or more in each of the last five Lakers basketball betting playoff games. The Suns not only have to deal with the size of the Lakers they also have to stop the league’s best player. While LeBron James won the league MVP award he has yet to prove he can win in the playoffs while Kobe has a number of NBA Championships.