The Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns square off in Game 3 of their first-round series in the 2021 NBA Playoffs on Thursday night at 10:00 p.m. ET on TNT. The Lakers picked up a big win in Game 2 to even the series at 1-1 heading back to Staples Center. Anthony Davis bounced back with a game-high 34 points to lead the Lakers to a big win.
Below is a look at a number of predictions ahead of Thursday night’s game for the Free $5k DraftKings Pools - Playoff Edition (PHX-LAL).
Suns vs. Lakers Game 3 pool picks
Which team will cover the spread? Suns +6.5 or Lakers -6.5
Lakers. The Lakers are going to demolish the Suns in this game. The Suns got their one victory in the series and this is where we see LeBron James take over and just finish off the opponent. I know it’s only 1-1 and the series would only be 2-1, but this game is pretty big for both sides. L.A. can afford to give Phoenix new life. We already saw this line move up to -7 and I think it goes up again before tip-off.
Total points scored? O/U 210.5
This is tricky. Part of me thinks there won’t be more offense. Game 2 on Tuesday was a slog and it just got to 211. The only way the Suns can hang in this series is if they tighten things up on defense. The Lakers still aren’t a great offensive team, so it’s really just LeBron, AD and Dennis Schroder on offense. I’m going to lean the over, still. This is a very low total and if it’s a blowout in favor of LA, I think they get up to around 110-120 points.
Which team will reach 30 points first? Suns or Lakers
It’s the Lakers. There really isn’t much to discuss here. I think they’re only going to get stronger as this series goes on and the Suns lack the type of resolve and experience to handle the spotlight at Staples Center.
Which player will finish with the most points, rebounds and assists? LeBron, Booker or AD?
I’m going to go with James and that he’ll come close/if not reach a triple-double in this game. Booker cools off after two strong games and Davis won’t need to do as much because this game will be over quickly.
Devin Booker total points: Over/Under 28.5
Booker is going to be held in check this game and I think he goes under 28.5 points. He had to get to the line a ton in Game 2 and went 17-of-17 from the charity stripe to get to 31 points. That just isn’t something you can duplicate, so if Booker isn’t able to get to the line, I don’t think he reaches around 30 points again.
Total points, rebounds, and assists for LeBron James? O/U 40.5
This is a pretty good number. Like I said above, I think this is a LeBron night and James comes close to a triple-double. With that said, does he get the points? He’d need 21-10-10 to get over this number, which doesn’t seem crazy. Let’s lean over.
Will Andre Drummond record a double-double?
Drummond has come one rebound short of doing so in both games; he got there with 15-12 in Game 2. This is tricky. If the game isn’t close, I don’t see Drumm playing a ton of minutes. He could see around 18-20 still, but that’s not a lot of time to get to 10 rebounds (or 10 points for that matter). Let’s go against the grain, assuming the majority of the pool goes with yes, and go with no.
Which team will win the 4th quarter?
The Lakers won the 4th quarter in Game 1 despite the loss and in Game 2 the teams tied. I’m going to go with the Lakers because I think they’ll roll in this one. That doesn’t always mean a W in the final frame, but I could see a game where the Suns hang around a bit and LA steps on the throat late in the contest.
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