Charlie Cummings gives his prediction and pick for Friday’s NBA matchup between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers.

We’re in the heat of the seeding battle for the Western Conference playoffs. Both the Lakers and the Suns will be moving on at the end of the regular season, but who they face to begin the postseason is very much up in the air. Tonight’s game will bring us closer to answers.

Phoenix is a 2.5-point road favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Los Angeles sits as a +114 underdog. The total is set at 217.5 points.

Let’s get into a prediction and pick for Friday’s matchup between the Lakers and Suns.

Lakers vs. Suns preview

As is the case with so many end-of-season NBA games, the injury report holds major sway over this game.

The Phoenix Suns are locked into the No. 7 seed. With no shot at getting out of the Play-In and no chance of losing home court in the first Play-In game, they’re taking a cautious approach. Devin Booker won’t be suiting up for the first time in more than a month, taking a much-needed rest before the postseason.

But that doesn’t come close to touching the Lakers’ injury problems. Two of their big three stars, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, will be sidelined tonight. With their absences likely to extend into the postseason, this is a big test for the Lakers as they see if they can hang with anyone on the strength of LeBron James and their role players. So far, the answers are lacking; Los Angeles is 1-4 with Doncic and Reaves out of the lineup.

But motivation will be on their side in this one. At 51-29, the Lakers are tied for the fourth seed in the West with the Rockets, just one game behind the Denver Nuggets for the third seed. With injuries already dealing them a tough blow, their seeding could make a tremendous difference. At the very least, two wins would secure home court in a No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup with the Rockets.

It’s very difficult to bring up season stats for these teams when you have multiple All-Stars missing. We have to look at these teams as they are, and for the Lakers, it’s about how far LeBron can take them. Fortunately, that answer has been very far in the last couple of games since the injuries; he put up 30 points, nine rebounds, and 15 assists against the Mavericks before a 26/8/11 line against the Warriors. That’s the kind of production that can carry an offense despite the injuries.

For the Suns, they’ll turn to a mix of Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and Collin Gillespie for their creation. They may be a tad light on passing, but that’s a good amount of shot creation to spread around against a suspect Lakers defense. But is it enough to deliver a win?

Lakers vs. Suns pick, best bet

With both teams broken down due to injuries, you have to look at motivation. The Lakers will run their starters heavily as they look to eke out a win, while the Suns will roll their full lineup with little motivation to win. Those extra minutes for LeBron and Co. against deep bench players will be the difference here, as the Lakers pick up a key victory.

Best Bet: Los Angeles Lakers Moneyline (+114)