The Phoenix Suns are on the road to face the Los Angeles Lakers tonight in a star-studded matchup.
The pregame narrative: Kevin Durant and LeBron James spent the summer striking gold together in Paris, and now they’ll square off for the first time in the 2024-25 season. My +250 SGP for Friday’s game features both Durant and LeBron.
Check out my Suns vs. Lakers same-game parlay predictions for Oct. 25.
Suns vs. Lakers predictions
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Parlay: Over 220.5 points + Durant over 21.5 points + LeBron over 7.5 assists (+250)
Over 220.5 points (-200): The Lakers were one of the most overs-friendly teams in the NBA last season, cashing that side in 54.6% of their games. That was the fourth-highest rate in the league, per Team Rankings.
L.A. and Phoenix averaged 223.4 total points in their five matchups last year, clearing this alt total three times. In the two games that went under, Bradley Beal was sidelined (and Devin Booker missed one of the games, too).
Thankfully, nobody from Phoenix’s Big Three is expected to miss tonight. In the Suns’ season opener, Beal, Booker and Kevin Durant combined for 64 points on 55.3% shooting.
SGP legs
Durant over 21.5 points (-220): With Year 17 underway, Durant is showing no signs of slowing down.
In Phoenix’s season opener, Durant played a game-high 44 minutes and finished with 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting. The four-time scoring champ has averaged 25-plus points in every year except his rookie campaign.
Last year, KD averaged 29.6 PPG in five matchups against the Lakers. He cleared this total four times.
The Suns’ offensive half-court can get crowded at times, but Durant still looks and plays like the leader of the pack.
LeBron over 7.5 assists (-113): LeBron was pretty quiet in the Lakers’ season opener. Maybe the distraction of Bronny James’ debut contributed to that, or maybe it was just a down game.
Either way, I like the King to bounce back tonight, and I think his assists prop is the perfect way to back him.
LeBron averaged a team-high 8.3 assists last season. He only had four helpers on Tuesday, but no other Laker had more than five. LeBron should remain the team’s primary facilitator.
Few teams know what that looks like better than the Suns. Last season, LeBron averaged 9.4 APG against them and cashed this bet in four of five matchups.
Picks made at 12:00 p.m. on 10/25/24.
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Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.