Lakers vs. Suns Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Tuesday, Dec. 23

The Los Angeles Lakers have dropped four of their last 10 games, slipping to fourth in the Western Conference standings ahead of Tuesday night’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns.

Phoenix – the No. 7 seed in the West – is just two games above .500 and is in the midst of a 4-6 stretch in its last 10.

Still, the Suns are small favorites at home with the Lakers dealing with some injuries to two of their best players. Austin Reaves (calf) has not played in the last three games and is listed as questionable for this matchup while Luka Doncic (leg contusion) exited the team’s last game early and is out for Tuesday night.

So, a lot may be on the shoulders of 40-year-old LeBron James in the Lakers’ final matchup ahead of their Christmas Day clash with the Houston Rockets.

Let’s take a look at the odds, my favorite player prop and a prediction for this matchup on Tuesday night.

Lakers vs. Suns Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Lakers +5.5 (-110)
Suns -5.5 (-110)

Moneyline

Lakers: +180
Suns: -218

Total

225.5 (Over -105/Under -115)

Lakers vs. Suns How to Watch

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 23
Time: 9:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Mortgage Matchup Center
How to Watch (TV): Arizona’s Family Sports, Spectrum Sportsnet
Lakers record: 19-8
Suns record: 15-13

Lakers vs. Suns Injury Reports

Lakers Injury Report

Luka Doncic – out
Rui Hachimura – out
Austin Reaves – questionable
Gabe Vincent – out

Suns Injury Report

Grayson Allen – doubtful
Jordan Goodwin – available
Jalen Green – out

Lakers vs. Suns Best NBA Prop Bets

Note: These player prop picks were made before odds were released and are suggestions based on past player performance.

Lakers Best NBA Prop Bet

LeBron James OVER Points

With the Lakers dealing with the injury bug ahead of Tuesday’s matchup, I like taking James to have a big game scoring the ball, as he’s starting to heat up in the month of December.

Didn’t we all expect this? James got off to a slow start this season after recovering from a knee injury and sciatica, but he’s really starting to round into form as of late.

In his last five games, James has scored 26 or more points four times, and he’s averaging 27.6 points per game while shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from 3. I expect the 3-point percentage to improve for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, making him an intriguing target as potentially the No. 1 option on Tuesday night.

Lakers vs. Suns Prediction and Pick

With the Lakers potentially down Reaves and Doncic for this game, I’m worried about them being able to keep up with this Suns team that has been solid at home in the 2025-26 season.

Phoenix is 9-5 straight up at Mortgage Matchup Center, and it’s hung its hat on the defensive end all season long, ranking No. 12 in the league in defensive rating overall and No. 7 in defensive rating at home.

That’s going to make it tough on a short-handed Lakers offense, especially since L.A. has fallen to 23rd in the league in defensive rating. Over their last 10 games, the Lakers are the No. 28 defense in the league – only the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards are worse.

L.A. has been propped up by its top-10 offense all season, but that won’t be the case with Doncic and Reaves up in the air for this matchup.

I’ll back the Suns to win for the 10th time this season at home.

Pick: Suns -5.5 (-110 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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