NBA Betting Tips: Lakers relishing Suns test

The NBA In-Season Tournament quarter-final action continues as the Milwaukee Bucks host the New York Knicks, and the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Phoenix Suns for a place in the semi-finals. We've picked out our best bets for the upcoming games.

Knicks @ Bucks - Bucks (-4.5) @ 5/6

New York enter this contest in good form, winning their last three, led by point guard Jalen Brunson, who seems to be thriving in his second season in the Big Apple.

The Knicks actually opened the inaugural tournament with a 110-105 setback in Milwaukee on November 3, but they've since won 10 of their 13 games that followed.

The winner of Tuesday's encounter will advance to the semi-finals on Thursday and face the Indiana Pacers at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, after their brilliant 122-112 victory over the Boston Celtics.

The Bucks, meanwhile, have won nine of their last 11 matches, and they've lost just once at home this campaign. Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo will be difficult to slow down here, and both possess elite scoring ability.

Milwaukee have won their past seven games against the Knicks, and it's hard to see them not winning at home once again.

Suns @ Lakers - Lakers (-1.5) @ 10/11

The Lakers and Suns will renew hostilities when they lock horns at the Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.

Los Angeles opened their in-season tournament group-stage schedule with a 122-119 victory at Phoenix on November 10, which was the beginning of their current 9-4 run.

Phoenix have been in excellent form since that defeat, winning eight of their next 10 games, including a seven-game winning streak that helped them to a 3-1 record in the group stage.

The Suns have two excellent scorers in the form of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, but I'm taking the Lakers to cover here, as they've only lost twice at home all season.

Check out the rest of our NBA Betting Tips here.