The Phoenix Suns are just 4-5 on the road in the 2025-26, and they’re set as underdogs against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.
Phoenix has lost back-to-back games to Oklahoma City and Denver, and things won’t be any easier against a Lakers team that is the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference after winning against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.
LeBron James did not play in that game due to left foot injury management, but it appears he’ll be in the lineup on Monday with the Lakers looking for an eighth win in a row.
Can the Suns prove that they can compete with one of the top teams in the West? Devin Booker and company have exceeded expectations so far in the 2025-26 season, but they’d love to avoid a third loss in a row to a top team in the conference.
Let’s examine the odds, my favorite player prop and a prediction for this Pacific Division battle.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Spread
Moneyline
Total
Suns Injury Report
Lakers Injury Report
Suns Best NBA Prop Bet
In today’s best NBA props column at SI Betting, I shared why I’m fading Booker against the Lakers:
Suns guard Devin Booker is in the midst of a brutal slump, shooting just 35.2 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from 3 over his last seven games while scoring 24 or fewer points in each matchup.
For the season, Booker is averaging 25.7 points per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and just 31.1 percent from beyond the arc.
While the Lakers aren’t an elite defensive team – they’re 17th in defensive rating – I think this prop is a little inflated for Booker given his recent struggles. The star guard is averaging just 20.1 points per game over his last seven contests, and he only had four games in November with over 26.5 points.
After a strong October where he had 30 or more points in five of his six games, Booker has cooled off in a big way, and I think he falls short on Monday night.
The Lakers are off to a great start this season, and they’ve dominated at home, going 6-3 against the spread and 7-2 overall.
If there’s one concern with the Suns, it’s how they’ve fared on the road this season.
Their net rating goes from +5.9 at home to -2.3 on the road, but the biggest issue is their defense, which goes from a top-10 unit (in defensive rating) at home to 19th on the road.
That’s not going to cut it against a Lakers team that has the best offensive rating in the NBA at home (124.4) and should have James back in the lineup on Monday.
Los Angeles actually opened as a 5.5-point favorite in this game, so we’re getting a little discount on the Lakers at this number. I think they’re a great bet to win their eighth game in a row and cover against Phoenix.
Pick: Lakers -4.5 (-115 at DraftKings)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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