Lakers vs. Suns NBA expert prediction and odds for Sunday, Feb. 25 (Lakers can cover)

The Los Angeles Lakers have taken three of their four meetings against the Phoenix Suns this season, and the teams will square off for the fifth and final time in the regular season on ABC on Sunday. 

The Suns won’t have Bradley Beal (hamstring) in this game, while Anthony Davis and LeBron James are both listed as questionable for the Lakers. If James and Davis suit up, this looks like a game Los Angeles can win, as oddsmakers have set the team as a four-point underdog on the road. 

Phoenix won the most recent meeting between these teams by 18 points on Jan. 11, but James played just 24 minutes in the loss. Can the Lakers, who have turned things around as of late, steal a win on the road to improve their playoff chances?

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Let’s break down the odds, key players and a best bet for this Sunday matinee: 

Lakers vs. Suns odds, spread and total

Lakers vs. Suns how to watch

• Date: Sunday, Feb. 25
• Time: 3:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: Footprint Center
• How to watch (TV): ABC
• Lakers record: 31-27
• Suns record: 33-24

Lakers vs. Suns injury reports

Lakers injury report

• Anthony Davis – questionable
• Jalen Hood-Schifino – out
• LeBron James – questionable
• Cam Reddish – questionable
• Gabe Vincent – out
• Jarred Vanderbilt – out
• Maxwell Lewis – out
• Christian Wood – out

Suns injury report

• Bradley Beal – out
• Eric Gordon – questionable
• Damion Lee – out
• Jusuf Nurkic – probable

Lakers vs. Suns key players to watch

Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James: In four meetings with Phoenix this season, James is averaging 23.5 points, 8.8 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game. He did score just 10 points in the team’s matchup with Phoenix on Jan. 11, but he’s also had multiple 3-point games against the Suns. Watching him match up with Kevin Durant will never get old. 

Phoenix Suns

Devin Booker: When Beal sits this season, Booker is averaging 25.7 points, 7.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds across 21 games. He is coming off a terrible shooting night (7-for-24), but the Suns guard could be in line for some positive regression against a Lakers team that hasn’t exactly been one of the best defensive groups in the NBA. 

Lakers vs. Suns prediction and pick

The Suns have not come out of the All-Star break strong, losing by 10 to the Dallas Mavericks and 14 to the Houston Rockets – both on the road. 

The team now gets to return home, but this is a tough matchup against a Los Angeles team that won on Friday night with James back in the lineup (he missed Thursday’s loss to Golden State). 

All season long, the Suns have struggled against the spread as home favorites, going 10-14-1. Meanwhile, the Lakers are 10-9 as road dogs, and they have been able to handle business against Phoenix (for the most part) this season. 

Losing Beal (and potentially Gordon) for this game really weakens the Suns’ rotation, and I question this team being able to win easily against the Lakers. 

Phoenix may be 33-24 on the season, but the team is just 14-13 when Beal sits and 19-11 when he plays. That’s a pretty big difference. 

I’ll take the Lakers to cover on the road on Sunday. 

Pick: Lakers +4 (-110)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.