Overview
The Western Conference leading Phoenix Suns (54-14) travel to New Orleans to battle the Pelicans (28-40) in a Tuesday night contest.
Last games records
The Suns obliterated the Lakers in Phoenix over the weekend, winning by a final score of 140-111. It is incredible to think that the Suns and Lakers were projected to meet in the Western Conference Finals prior to the season, and now the Suns are simply beating down on the ninth place Lakers here in March.
New Orleans Pelicans also earned a blowout victory over the weekend, as they defeated the Rockets 130-105 at home. The Pelicans are clinging to the ten seed in the West but trail the Lakers by just one game in the standings.
The Suns lead the season series with the Pelicans 2-1.
Matchup Information
Let’s take a look at our NBA picks for this game.
Suns at Pelicans Betting Analysis
Phoenix Suns Betting Analysis
Phoenix continues to take care of business. When Chris Paul went down with his injury, there was legitimate concern about the team moving forward. Although they have not dominated in recent action, the Suns are still 6-4 over the course of their last ten games, which is a testament to their deep and talented roster.
Devin Booker leads the team with 25.6 points per game. The pressure fell on his shoulders when CP3’s injury was announced, and he took the reins and performed admirably in Paul’s absence.
Big man Deandre Ayton is also enjoying a successful campaign with his 16.9 points and ten rebounds per contest.
The Suns rank within the top ten in points, assists, and rebounds per game as a team and have consistently upheld the NBA betting odds in their games as well. Phoenix enters this matchup listed as around a 5.5-7.5 point favorite according to most sportsbooks, and they should have a solid opportunity of covering the spread despite playing away from home.
New Orleans Pelicans Betting Analysis
The Pelicans need to win as often as possible as the season winds down. They are narrowly hanging on to a play-in spot, but Portland and San Antonio are just a couple of games behind them in the standings.
It would be impressive to see New Orleans in the postseason despite playing without projected superstar Zion Williamson. This was a team in shambles prior to the C.J. McCollum trade, but they have looked like a completely different unit since acquiring the veteran shooting guard.
McCollum leads the Pelicans with 27.1 points per game and 6.7 assists per contest. He has done a bit of everything since heading to New Orleans and has established himself as the go-to guy for the team.
Brandon Ingram has also played well, as evidenced by his 22.8 per game average and 5.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.
But the unsung hero in New Orleans has been center Jonas Valanciunas. The big man is averaging 17.9 points and 11.4 rebounds per contest, and yet, nobody seems to be talking about him. His numbers are all-star worthy, but he has been overshadowed by fellow centers Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, who are taking the league by storm.
But the Pelicans have some star-power on their roster without question. They will try to upset the fairly large spread at home on Tuesday evening.
Team Updates
Brandon Ingram is dealing with a mild right hamstring strain, and his timetable to return is currently unclear.
Cam Johnson has been ruled out for Tuesday’s game as he recovers from a quad injury. His absence represents his sixth straight missed game due to the injury.
- Phoenix is 36-32 ATS this season.
- New Orleans is 33-34-1 ATS this year.
- The Pelicans are 18-16-1 ATS at their home arena.
- The Suns are 19-12 ATS on the road.
Suns at Pelicans Betting Preview
The Suns enter play as the betting favorites. However, New Orleans desperately needs a victory on Tuesday.
In the end, I like the Suns to get the job done. The Pelicans are without Ingram, which places a lot of pressure on McCollum to keep New Orleans in the game.
Suns at Pelicans Betting Prediction
Bet on the Phoenix Suns.
Suns at Pelicans Prediction
The Suns are 5.5-7.5 point favorites, according to most sports betting guides. This is a spread that is not easy to cover on the road, but they are playing well right now and should be able to take care of business in New Orleans.
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