The NBA season is officially underway and opening week carries on with a Pacific division showdown between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. Our NBA odds series continues with a Suns-Lakers prediction and pick.

After a tough opening night loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers aim to rebound in their home opener. Denver had their number all night and dominated almost every facet of the game. Their largest lead of the game was 18, and to cap everything off, the game ended with Denver fans chanting, “Who's your daddy?” at LeBron James. Making headlines everywhere was that James played only 29 minutes in this game. With Anthony Davis struggling mightly against Nikola Jokic, both of these players will be looking for a bounce-back game in a big way.

With a completely different opening night, the Phoenix Suns emerged victorious on the road against Golden State. It was a game of runs as both teams held leads of eight points or more throughout the game. However, the Suns ultimately got the last laugh as they went on an 11-2 run to begin the fourth quarter and never looked back. Leading the way was Devin Booker with 32 points and eight assists. Starting the season this hot should be very concerning to his opponents moving forward.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Suns-Lakers Odds

Phoenix Suns: +5.5 (-108)

Los Angeles Lakers: -5.5 (-112)

Over: 225.5 (-110)

Under: 225.5 (-110)

How to Watch Suns vs. Lakers

Time: 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT

TV: TNT

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Suns Could Cover The Spread

Surprisingly, the biggest storyline out of Phoenix's game did not revolve around any of their big three. Instead, the recently acquired Jusuf Nurkic stole the show. His performance and numbers were not flashy, but his dominance in the paint propelled this team to the win. On an efficient 62.5% shooting from the field, he dropped 14 points and 14 rebounds for a season opener Double-Double. He played a pivotal role in how the Suns were able to control the glass all night and bully the Warriors in the paint. Phoenix outrebounded Golden State 60-49. They will look to do the same against the Lakers, who struggled mightily handling Jokic in the paint on Tuesday.

The biggest selling point of this Suns team coming into this season was their defense. However, it was their defense that shined in Tuesday's win. The intensity they brought on their three-point defense against the Splash Brothers and Co. was phenomenal. They limited the Warriors to shooting just 10-43 (23.3%) from three. This is tied for the eighth most threes missed by a Golden State team since the 1989-90 season. If the Suns can bring this high-energy three-point defense to Los Angeles, the Lakers will fall to 0-2.

Why The Lakers Could Cover The Spread

As of right now, it is looking like the Suns will be pretty depleted because of some big injuries. Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are listed on the injury report as “Doubtful” to play Thursday night. This is a massive blow to the Suns, as two members of their big three will be watching from the sidelines. With a less-than-remarkable bench, the Lakers should have no problem containing Kevin Durant and handling business in this game. Losing opening night games is not unfamiliar territory for LeBron James. He has now lost each of his last seven opening-night games. But, as James knows better than anyone else in the league, it is about how you finish, not how you start. This is a perfect get-right game for him and the Lakers to get back on track.

It showed that the Suns may have made a mistake this offseason by not acquiring a true point guard. Ball security was a real issue for them in their opening night game, and it almost cost them the win. Phoenix committed 19 total turnovers in the game, 15 of which came in the first half. Without Booker, the Suns will be hard-pressed to find a facilitator and point man who can run this offense without any problems turning the ball over.

Final Suns-Lakers Prediction & Pick

These two teams had drastically different opening nights on Tuesday. The Suns entered the game as underdogs on the road and ended up with the win. Meanwhile, the Lakers came up way short of avenging their playoff sweep at the hands of the Nuggets a season ago. I will lay the points with the Lakers because they desperately need a win to get their season going. Although the Suns looked like the premier team in the Western Conference in the win on Tuesday, I believe the Lakers bench will make up for their lack of production against the Nuggets. In addition, Anthony Davis is now away from his kryptonite, that is, Jokic, so look for him to have an excellent redemption game. I will take the Lakers at -2.

Final Suns-Lakers Prediction & Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -5.5 (-112)