Lakers host Suns in NBA Western Conference Finals Game 2 – Bet Now

The Western Conference Finals continues on Wednesday night with a tussle in Tinseltown between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns.

BetOnline Sportsbook brings you our NBA playoff picks for the second game of this best of seven series.

Los Angeles led for the mass majority of Game 1 and removed any doubt of falling behind in this series with a big burst in the third quarter that put the game away.

Phoenix now needs to rebound quickly or face the dubious task of having to take four out of five games against the defending champions to advance to the NBA Finals.

#3 Phoenix Suns (62-31, 56-36-1 ATS) vs.
#1 Los Angeles Lakers (66-27, 40-50-3 ATS)

• Game Date/Time: Wednesday, April 19th, 9:00 ET
• Game Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• TV/Radio Broadcast: TNT, Sirius

NBA Playoff Odds

Phoenix Suns +7
Los Angeles Lakers -7
Game Total 216

Scoring 107 points for the Suns is old hat. Unfortunately, allowing 128 isn’t going to cut it.

Offensively speaking, F Amare Stoudemire did his job on the scoreboard, pouring in 23 points, but he was a waste on the glass with just three boards. He was a big part of the reason, particularly on the defensive end, that Los Angeles owned such a huge rebounding edge. The Lakers won the rebounding battle 42-34 and ripped down 12 offensive boards.

Four other Suns reached double digits in scoring, but none of them scored more than 15 points. Phoenix backers are going to need someone else to step up and put together a 25+ point game to succeed in Game 2, especially if the defense isn’t going to do its share.

Someone getting on G Kobe Bryant would help, too. Kobe shot 13/23 from the field and 11/12 from the foul line to total 40 points in all to go along with five boards and five assists. However, unlike the Suns, there were two other major stars that stepped up to support “The Black Mamba.”

F Pau Gasol scored 21 points on 10/13 shooting and at times looked dominant in the post. Speaking of dominating in the paint, how about the game that F Lamar Odom had? He had 19 points and 19 rebounds, including seven of the team’s 12 offensive boards.

The bench was crucial for HC Phil Jackson. The seven players that came into the game to replace the starting five scored 44 points to lead the way. If that keeps up, the Suns are going to be in a lot of trouble throughout the remainder of this series.

NBA Playoff Insider Tip: Phoenix is 34-16-1 ATS in its L/51 games overall.

While watching any of the SportsCenter or Around the Horn type of shows, everyone is already writing off the Suns. You’d better believe that HC Alvin Gentry is using this as motivation in the locker room.

The run and gun effort was lackluster at best in Game 1, but that could and should all change in Game 2.

The Suns are a perfect 7-0 ATS when playing off an ATS loss the L/7 times, and they’re an impressive 36-15-1 ATS when playing on one days rest; LA counters with a 5-15-1 ATS tally after having just one day to recoup from a game.

My NBA playoff picks in Game 2 are on the Suns to keep this one close if not even the series up!

My NBA Playoff Prediction: Los Angeles by 3