If the early NBA betting results are any indication, it is going to be a long year for the Phoenix Suns. They were beaten badly in their opener against the Portland Trail Blazers, losing 106-92. You may want to take the advice we gave you earlier about Phoenix this season and avoid making an NBA bet on the Suns.
The Lakers did want champions did in their opener. They found a way to win against Houston even though they didn’t play their best ball. Championship teams find ways to win and that is what the Lakers did in their opener as they beat Houston 112-110 although they did not cover the point spread at Sbgglobal.
Suns are Soft
The Suns are going to get pounded this season by physical teams. Phoenix may win some games against finesse teams but against teams that are tough, they are going to be pushed around. Portland out rebounded them by 18 in the opener. The Suns will win some games thanks to Steve Nash and Jason Richardson but on most nights they are going to struggle. This is not the same Phoenix team it was a year ago when they had Amare Stoudemire.
Lakers are Deep
The Lakers won on opening night as Kobe Bryant had 27 points. The big story for the Lakers though was their bench. Shannon Brown was so good off the bench that once he came off he stayed in the starting lineup. You could say he single-handedly changed the outcome of the opener as he turned a loss into a win for Los Angeles. Steve Blake also came off the bench and stayed in the starting lineup and he had the winning three-point shot. Brown scored 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Brown and Blake were so good that Derek Fisher and Ron Artest stayed on the bench in the fourth quarter.
Friday NBA Betting Trends
This is a revenge game for the Suns and they are at home so even though Phoenix is not as good as they were last season they may show up for this one on Friday. The Lakers are 1-4 in NBA betting in their last 5 vs. the Western Conference. The Suns are 19-6-1 ATS in their last 26 home games. If you are looking to make an NBA bet on the total, the Under is 4-0 in the Lakers last 4 road games but the Over is 4-1 in the Suns last 5 home games.