NBA Basketball
2025-12-01 - Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : NBA Basketball
Monday 1st December 2025 - Scheduled 10pm
3am (British Time)
Preview
The 2025/26 NBA season has been underway for a month, but the focus for most North American sports fans is largely on the end of the Major League Baseball season and the second half of the regular seasons for both College Football and the pro game.
A decision to produce an in-season Cup competition was designed to help the NBA pick up some early headlines with most believing teams only really focus after the All-Star Break in February. That is also right around the trade deadline hits and you begin to note which teams are capable of having a deep Playoff run and those that are already thinking ahead to the next campaign.
We are just about through the first quarter of the regular season and fans will be looking for early positive signs.
There is no doubt that those behind the Los Angeles Lakers (15-4) will be incredibly happy with how things have been going- LeBron James has missed significant time, but that has allowed Luka Doncic to really settle in with the team-mates around him and James' return has just added to the depth of this Lakers team.
The Lakers won for a seventh time in a row on Sunday in a game where LeBron James was given some rest on the front side of this back to back scheduled. He is expected to be back in the lineup and the Lakers will be looking to maintain the recent focus to improve in defending the three point line.
That is going to be tested by the Phoenix Suns (12-9) who have made a better start to the season than expected and who are boosted by a returning Grayson Allen. After reaching the NBA Finals and just coming up short, the Suns moved through recent years hoping to bring in veteran stars to complement some of the younger players, but it has largely been a failure and this is now a roster filled with players who are looking to take the next step.
Devin Booker is still here and the Suns are a team that will launch a lot of three pointers, which is where the new approach of the Lakers to stop teams attacking them from outside of the arc will be tested.
The Suns are heading into this one having lost three of the last four games, but they have had a day of rest between games and will be looking to use that to their advantage. Credit has to be given to the team for remaining competitive in a recent loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but Phoenix have not been as strong as they would have liked to be on the Defensive side of the court and the Lakers can take advantage of that.
Austin Reaves did show his frustration that the starters had to play more minutes than needed in the win on Sunday after allowing the New Orleans Pelicans. However, that is the sixth time in the seven game winning run that the Lakers have won by double digits and they may have enough Offensive firepower to go with a more intense Defensive effort to be able to cover this line set for this regular season game.
These teams split four games last season, but the Lakers won both at home by at least 7 points and they can match that effort on Monday.
Prediction
Lay the points with the home favourite.
The Pick :
Los Angeles Lakers 117-110 Phoenix Suns
