Game of the day: L.A. Lakers at Phoenix Suns
By Marc Lawrence
Game 4 of the Western Conference finals resumes Tuesday night in Phoenix where the Suns hope to even up their series with the Lakers.
That’s Amar’e
The Suns got back in their series vs. the Lakers thanks largely to the 42 points and 11 rebounds Amar’e Stoudemire supplied in a 118-109 victory over the in Game 3 in Phoenix on Sunday.
The loss severed the Lakers’ eight-game winning streak and narrowed their series lead to one game.
After being disparaged for his bad defense and eyebrow-raising comments about Lamar Odom, Stoudemire finally stepped his game up with his best postseason performance since the 42 points he posted against San Antonio in 2005.
“Everybody has the right to have their opinions. So I can't really comment on their opinions," the Phoenix All-Star big man told reporters. "But from my standpoint, you can never question my determination, my focus, my dedication… My dedication to the game is at an all-time high."
His effort did not surprise L.A. guard Kobe Bryant. “He wasn't going to come out here and roll over. I saw this coming."
Odom, meanwhile, made only 4-of-14 shots and had 10 points and six rebounds before fouling out.
“It was one of those games. It happens… He had a wonderful game," Odom said. "He got to the hole and was forceful. He played great."
Red stripe
Stoudemire’s awakening served the Suns well – particularly at the free throw line. Phoenix made 37 of 42 freebies, including 14-of-18 by Stoudemire. The Lakers were 16-for-20 at the charity strip.
An almost unthinkable halftime free throw margin of 20 to 3 in the Suns’ favor negated another strong effort on the offensive glass by the Lakers.
It is what kept the Lakers in the game. In the first half, Los Angeles rebounded 29 percent of its misses, leading to 13 second-chance points. Nonetheless, the defending champs trailed by seven at the break.
"We certainly didn't come out to play the way I wanted," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said, "and we certainly didn't play the way I wanted at the end."
Jackson drew what he said was his first technical of the year in the second quarter, when the Suns were 13 of 15 at the line and his team hadn't even shot a free throw.
As a result of failing to get to the line, L.A. settled for 32 shots from downtown, the most in Lakers playoff history. They made nine (28.1 percent) - which was actually better than Phoenix's 5-for-20 shooting (25 percent) from beyond the arc.
Home is where the winners live
Home teams have ruled in the playoffs this season.
The Suns won their fifth-straight home playoff game Sunday, the club's longest single postseason home win streak since May 1993 when they last reached the NBA Finals. Los Angeles last won a playoff game in Phoenix on April 26, 2006.
In games through Sunday, hosts in the playoffs this season have gone 47-22 straight up and 40-27-2 against the spread, including 36-20-1 ATS as favorites.
The Lakers are 3-3 SU and 2-3-1 ATS on the road in the postseason, but 7-0 and 5-2 ATS at home. Los Angeles would have home-court advantage in the NBA Finals over Boston.
On the flip side, the Suns are 5-1 SU and ATS at home and 4-3 SU and ATS on the playoff road this campaign.
Star struck
Lakers center Andrew Bynum took a step back in Game 3. He played just 7:31 minutes, scored only two points and was in foul trouble from the beginning.
His absence made it easier for Stoudemire and company to drive toward the basket over and over. Bynum has torn cartilage in the knee and won't be pain-free until he has surgery. He is averaging 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in the West finals and will be available for Game 4 despite previous reports saying he could be out.
"I'll talk to him and see how he feels about it," Jackson said. "I think he was ineffective. There were some things that got by him."
Meanwhile, Suns’ star G Steve Nash again had trouble scoring from the field, but finished with 17 points, 15 assists and only one turnover in 38 minutes.
Nash broke his nose and displaced cartilage during a collision with Derek Fisher in the final minute of Game 3. He practiced with the team on Monday and then underwent surgery to repair the damage. Nash will be in the starting lineup Tuesday.
"I think we would have been surprised if he would have gone out of the game," Grant Hill said. "He's fine. No Friday the 13th mask, no Rip Hamilton mask, no Ginobili tape. He'll be ready to go, so it wasn't that bad."
From the archives
• The Lakers are 11-3 SU and 10-4 ATS in this series since 2007, but 0-2 ATS when playing off an SU and ATS defeat.
• Los Angeles is 8-1 SU and ATS off a SU and ATS playoff loss the last two seasons.
• Phoenix is 13-26-1 ATS at home in the playoffs off a win.
Lakers at Suns, Game 4
By Kevin Rogers
The Suns found a way to keep one of the conference finals series interesting with their victory on Sunday night. Phoenix will look to even up this series at two games apiece with Los Angeles at US Airways Center on Tuesday night.
From the gambling perspective, the biggest question going into Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals is if these two teams can keep up their high-scoring battles. Phoenix topped L.A., 118-109 in Game 3, finishing 'over' the total of 219 ½. Sunday's game even featured a 40-point quarter, as the Suns outscored the Lakers, 25-15 in the second. The downfall for 'under' players came in a 69-point third quarter, in which the Lakers put up 37 points. The amazing part of this up-and-down contest was Phoenix hitting only five of 20 attempts from downtown, but the Suns made up for it by drilling 37 free throws.
All three games of this series have eclipsed the 'over,' with final totals coming to 235, 226, and 227 points. The posted totals have jumped considerably from the series opener until now, going from 210 ½ to 216 to 219 ½ to 221 ½ for Game 4. The last three home playoff games for the Suns that had a final total of at least 220 points all finished 'under' the total (221 ½, 223 ½, and 224 against the Mavericks in 2005 and 2006 playoffs).
Amare Stoudemire silenced the critics with a 42-point, 11-rebound effort in Game 3 for the Suns, coming off a combined 41 points and nine rebounds in the first two losses of the series. The Lakers shot better from the floor (48% to 46%), from downtown (28% to 25%), and out-rebounded the Suns (41-40) in Game 3. The disparity at the foul line (37-16), while committing ten less turnovers than the Lakers helped the Suns make this a series.
The Lakers were led by Kobe Bryant's 36 points and 11 assists, but the bigger story from Game 3 was the injury to Andrew Bynum. The young center played seven minutes, while putting up just two points. Bynum has been largely ineffective since a solid first-round series against the Thunder with his ailing right knee hindering his game. Even though the rumor was tossed out there that Bynum may sit Game 4 to rest his knee, it is likely he will play on Tuesday.
Los Angeles has turned into an uptempo team in the postseason by putting up 'overs' in nine of the last 11 games. Phil Jackson's club has tallied at least 109 points in six straight games, but has also allowed at least 103 points in each of those contests. The Lakers have been involved in four games this season with a total of 220 or higher, two of which came at home against the Suns in the regular season. One game went 'over' the total, a 121-102 Los Angeles victory in early November. The only 'under' out of the four came versus Phoenix in a 108-88 win on December 6, easily finishing 'under' the total of 221.
The Lakers have barely profited on the road off an away loss this season, going 7-5 SU/ATS. Meanwhile, the Suns are 10-5 SU and 8-6-1 ATS at home following a victory in the Valley. That situation for Alvin Gentry's team has come up only once this postseason in the Game 2 victory over San Antonio last round. Following the Game 3 win, the home team has improved to 8-1 ATS the last nine meetings in this series.
The Suns are listed between a pick-em and one-point favorites depending on your book. The total is set at 221 ½ across the board, while the game tips off at 9:00 PM EST and will be televised nationally on TNT.
Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood:
Commissioner David Stern will get his wish eventually with a Boston-Los Angeles NBA Finals, but he can't be thrilled with the way the playoffs have gone so far. The biggest story in the league is where LeBron James will end up next season, as the games are riding in the backseat of the car. Understandably, this summer's free agent market is the most significant we've seen in years, but that would on the back-burner if these series were more exciting.
The Wizards winning the draft lottery just goes to show you how things can go full-circle. Washington had the abundance of problems throughout the season, including the Gilbert Arenas gun incident. The Wizards dealt Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, and went through the final months of the season as a team that seemed a step above an NBDL squad. The likelihood of drafting Kentucky's John Wall with the first pick won't rescue the franchise, but it will try to turn the corner for professional basketball in the Nation's Capital.
The firing of Mike Brown in Cleveland was as obvious as Jesse James cheating on Sandra Bullock. Brown owned a fantastic regular season mark in his tenure with the Cavs, but this team made only one Finals appearance in five seasons. Cleveland must feel that it will lure a big-name coach with this move (to along with the $4.5 million it saved by firing Brown at Sunday's deadline), or at least make one last stand to keep James in northern Ohio.
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NBA PLAYOFFS
WESTERN CONFERENCE
L.A. Lakers (10-3, 8-5 ATS) at Phoenix (9-4 SU and ATS)
The Suns, back in this best-of-7 Western Conference finals series after getting blown out in Games 1 and 2, look to tie things up with a victory in Game 4 against the defending champion Lakers at U.S. Airways Arena.
Phoenix pulled away late in Game 3 for a 118-109 victory as a 1½-point home favorite, a triumph that followed two double-digit losses in Los Angeles. Amare Stoudemire had a huge night, tying his career playoff high with 42 points on 14-for-22 shooting and adding 11 rebounds. Robin Lopez had his best postseason performance with 20 points, and Steve Nash doubled up with 17 points and 15 assists.
Kobe Bryant (36 points, 11 assists, nine boards) nearly had a triple-double in defeat, and Pau Gasol had 23 points and nine rebounds as Los Angeles outshot Phoenix 48.3 percent to 46.3 percent. But the huge difference came at the free-throw line – the Suns made a whopping 42 trips to the charity stripe, hitting 37 (88.1 percent), while Los Angeles was 16 of 20. L.A. also committed 17 turnovers and forced just seven. The loss ended the Lakers’ eight-game winning streak (7-1 ATS).
Los Angeles is now 5-2 SU and ATS in its seven meetings with Phoenix this season, and despite the Game 3 defeat Phil Jackson’s squad is still 8-4 ATS in its last 12 trips to the desert. The Lakers have won nine of the last 12 SU in this rivalry and are 11-5 ATS in the last 16. The home team has cashed in eight of the last nine meetings, and the chalk is on a 6-1 ATS swing (4-0 last four). These squads also met in the first round in 2006 and 2007, with Phoenix taking both series, rallying from a 3-1 deficit in ’06 while going 4-3 ATS, and rolling in five games in ’07 (2-3 ATS).
The SU winner is 14-1 ATS in the last 15 Lakers-Suns clashes (7-0 this year). Also, the SU winner has cashed in 22 straight games for Phoenix (including all 13 playoff games), and the SU winner is 11-2 ATS in Los Angeles’ 13 playoff games this year.
Los Angeles is 26-21 (20-26-1 ATS) on the road this season (3-3 SU and ATS in the playoffs), winning three in a row SU and ATS on the highway before Sunday’s setback. Phoenix is 37-10 (30-16-1 ATS) in the home jerseys, winning its last five SU and ATS after dropping the first-round opener against Portland.
The Lakers sport positive pointspread streaks of 7-2 overall (5-1 last six), 4-1 in conference finals, 7-3 as a playoff pup and 6-1 after scoring 100 points or more, but they are also 4-12 ATS in their last 16 starts following one day of rest and are 5-12 ATS in their last 17 after a spread-cover.
The Suns are 1-4 ATS in their last five conference finals outings, but the pointspread streaks are all positive from there, including 34-16-1 overall, 37-18-1 at home 21-6-1 as a favorite, 4-0 as a playoff chalk, 5-1 after a SU win, 19-7-1 after an ATS victory and 35-15-1 after a day off.
Los Angeles is on “over” surges of 9-1-1 overall (6-0-1 last seven), 5-1-1 as a visitor, 5-1 in the conference finals (4-0 last four), 5-0-1 after a day off, and 4-1-1 as a playoff pup. Likewise, Phoenix is on “over” stretches of 6-1 overall (4-0 last four), 6-1 at home (all as a chalk), 16-7 as a playoff chalk, 4-1 in conference finals and 4-1 after either a SU or an ATS win.
Finally, the over is 4-1 in the last five meetings in this rivalry, including 3-0 in this series, and the total has gone high in 12 of the last 17 clashes between these Pacific Division rivals.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER
NBA RoundUp For 5/25
By Dan Bebe
Lakers @ Suns - Phoenix by 1 with a total of 221. I'd be nuts if I didn't note how blown away I am by this total in a Playoff game, but with every contest thus far getting to 227 or above, oddsmakers really had no choice but to keep raising the number, and now we're looking at this outrageous opening mark of 221. I think we've finally hit the point where the value is on the Under. For a while there, the line was simply too low, but I feel pretty strongly that Sunday's total was right on point, which means this one might very well be just slightly too high. There are, of course, a few reasons to like both totals plays. If you think the tempo stays the same, obviously, you're going to like the over just a bit. The teams have been rattling off points like nobody's business, but I have to issue the subtle warning that Phoenix scored 37 of their points from the foul line. The Lakers seemed pretty content in the idea that they could just go on the road and win with the same effort level they gave at home, and they should know better. The Lakers didn't drive to the rim in game three, and on defense, they seemed to be pretty heavily reliant on just hoping for the best. Amare Stoudemire brought the fire, and the Lakers couldn't stop him. So, one point for the over, two for the under, the way I see it. Yes, these teams can probably shoot the same percentage as they did in game 3 pretty easily (that's the point for the over), but at the same time, there will likely be in the neighborhood of 5-7 points less scored at the free throw line, and I also believe the Lakers are going to key in on Amare a bit harder. I lean Under. On the side, I think Phoenix's 9-point win in game 3 moves some value back onto the Lakers side. LA stomped Phoenix at home, but everyone just saw the Suns collect a victory on their own home floor, and now people all of the sudden think Phoenix is up to the task. From what I saw, Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash were up to the task, and to a lesser extent, Jason Richardson, but the rest of those chumps still looked shell-shocked. If the Lakers play like they care, they can win in Phoenix, and if the Lakers actually give Kobe a minute or two of rest in the 2nd half, he'll close the game much stronger, as well. I lean to the Lakers.
NBA News and Notes
Lakers were 8-17/9-16 from arc in first two wins, but went 9-32 against Phoenix zone in Game 3 loss; LA shot 48% in that game after shooting 58% in each of its wins. Gasol is 32-46 from floor so far in series, so he's still a riddle Suns haven't solved, but Odom was just 4-14 from floor last game. Phoenix is just 20-66 from arc in series; they won last game even though they were just 5-20 from arc. Stoudemire went nuts with 42-11 game (with zero assists) last game can he dominate again? Lopez had 20 points (8-10 from floor) in breakthrough performance last game.
Tips and Trends
Los Angeles Lakers at Phoenix Suns
Lakers: Los Angeles has struggled with Game 3's in the past, just like they did the other night in Phoenix. The Lakers appeared to have total control of their Western Conference Finals series with the Suns, but now the Suns are breathing life. The Lakers have lost SU 2 of the 3 games played in Phoenix this season, so they will need to respond tonight in Game 4. The health of C Andrew Bynum is a huge question mark for the Lakers, as he was limited to only 7 minutes in Game 3. As a result of his injury, Los Angeles had no answer for the Suns in the paint during Game 3. The Lakers need to improve their defense, as the Suns have increased their scoring total in each game this series. G Kobe Bryant played an incredible game 3, scoring 36 PTS and dishing out 11 assists. Bryant had team highs in PTS, rebounds, and assists, and was 1 rebound short of a triple double. F Pau Gasol and PG Derek Fisher combined for 41 PTS in Game 3, helping the Lakers stay competitive throughout. The Lakers are 67-28 SU and 41-51-3 ATS overall this season. Los Angeles is 26-21 SU and 21-25-1 ATS in road games this year. The Lakers are 11-9 ATS revenging a loss to an opponent this season.
Lakers are 5-1 ATS last 6 games against a team with a winning percentage above .600%.
Over is 7-0-1 last 8 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
Key Injuries - C Andrew Bynum (knee) is probable.
PROJECTED SCORE: 108 (UNDER - Total of the Day)
Suns (-1, O/U 221.5): Phoenix accomplished their goal of winning Game 3, and getting right back into their series with the Lakers. The Suns made some fundamental changes, notably with F Amar'e Stoudemire. Stoudemire attacked the basket from the opening tip, and it allowed him to ultimately score a game high 42 PTS. Stoudemire shot 14 of 22 from the field, and attempted 18 free throws in Game 3. In fact, Phoenix attempted 42 free throws, 22 more than the Los Angeles did. PG Steve Nash had 17 PTS and a game high 15 assists with only 1 turnover in Game 3. Besides Stoudemire, the star of Game 3 was C Robin Lopez. Lopez made 8 of his 10 shots, scoring 20 crucial points for the Suns. If F Channing Frye could ever get on track, this team could be offensively unstoppable. Phoenix is now 63-32 SU and 57-37-1 ATS overall this season. The Suns are 37-10 SU and 29-16-2 ATS in home games this season. The Suns have now scored 118 PTS in 2 of the 3 home meetings against the Lakers this season, ultimately going 2-1 both SU and ATS this year. Phoenix is 32-14 ATS after allowing 105 PTS or more in their previous game.
Suns are 4-0 ATS last 4 playoff games as a favorite.
Over is 5-0 last 5 games against a team with a winning percentage above .600%.
Key Injuries - None.
PROJECTED SCORE: 105