The Phoenix Suns get set to take on the Los Angeles Lakers in what should be an interesting clash on Thursday night inside cyrpto.com arena in Los Angeles, CA. They jump it up late on the West Coast at 10:00 pm. Both these two teams have a bitter disdain for each other and this could be a very chippy game. Bookmaker has installed the Lakers as a slim - 2-point favorite. 

The Lakers (19-19)  have won two straight since dropping four in a row and in the process they have been able to push their record to .500 on the season. That is no small task since they have been playing very inconsistent basketball all season long. The Lakers are still being paced and led by veteran LeBron James, who is logging well over 34 minutes per contest while netting around 25 points per contest. He also chips in with seven rebounds and seven assists.

Anthony Davis has also put together some steady numbers this season. He is leading the team in scoring with around 25 points per contest. Davis also can play inside and down on the low block and has shown he has gotten better as a defender and rebounder.

As a team, the Lakers connect on 55% from the floor, while drilling 35% from beyond the arc. They have some nice shooters and look for the guards to push the pace against a Suns' team that can score in bunches. 

The Suns (19-18) have dropped three out of four overall and they would love to defeat their rival in the Suns. These two teams have had some battles over the last several years. The last time these two clubs met on the hardwood, the Lakers got the better of the Suns, 106-103, in what was a very competitive and emotional game. 

Suns power forward Kevin Durant paced Phoenix with a team-high 31 points in the loss and for the season the future HOF'er is netting 29 points per game, while grabbing just under seven rebounds per clip. 

Phoenix is loaded with talent and scoring and they just do not rely on Durant to carry the load. They also look to shooting guard Devin Booker, who contributes 27 per game and more importantly he loves to drive to the basket and kick it out to his teammates. 

The Lakers are 2-3 in their last five games and 1-4 in their last five games against the spread. They are also 8-11 in their road games against the spread. The totals have gone over in three out of their last five games and the totals have gone over in seven out of their last 20 games at home. The Suns are 2-3 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the spread. They are also 7-8 in their road games against the spread. The totals have gone over in three out of their last five games.