Tuesday night will feature a Western Conference showdown as the top-seeded Phoenix Suns (54-14) take on the No. 10 seeded New Orleans Pelicans (28-40). The Pelicans will host this one at the Smoothie King Center, with tipoff scheduled for 8:00 pm ET.
The Suns picked up a win in their last game on Sunday against the Lakers, 140-111. In the win, Devin Booker scored a team-high 30 points to go along with ten assists. DeAndre Ayton also had a big game with 23 points and 16 rebounds.
The Pelicans also won on Sunday, taking down the Houston Rockets 130-105 at home. Jonas Valanciunas had a game-high 32 points to go along with ten rebounds. Jaxson Hayes added 21 points and six boards.
The odds opened with the Suns being road favorites. They are -196 to win while the Pelicans’ moneyline sits at +150. The spread features New Orleans +5.
More Odds
The Suns are the favorites to win the West this year at +160. The Pelicans are +13000 to win the conference.
In terms of the NBA Finals, the Suns are once again the favorites at +390. The Pelicans sit +24000 to win it all.
By The Numbers
Phoenix comes in with one of the best offenses in basketball. They rank fifth overall averaging 114 points per game (112.7 on the road). The Pelicans rank 22nd averaging 108.2 points (110.6 at home).
Defensively, it is again Phoenix with the advantage. They rank sixth in scoring defense allowing 106.1 points per game. The Pelicans rank 14th allowing 109.9 points per game.
Suns Look To Stay Red Hot On The Road
At 54-14, the Suns are solid regardless of the venue. Still, they have actually performed better on the road this season (25-6) than they have even at home (29-8). They will try to continue that trend Tuesday against the Pelicans.
Phoenix is led by shooting guard Devin Booker. In 57 games, he is averaging 25.6 points on 45.1% shooting. He is also chipping in 5.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
DeAndre Ayton has also performed well this season. He is averaging a double-double with 16.9 points and ten rebounds per game.
Other contributors include Mikal Bridges (13.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists), Cameron Johnson (12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds), and Cameron Payne (11.2 points, 4.5 assists). Johnson is questionable Tuesday with a quad injury.
Pelicans Fighting To Stay In Playoff Hunt
With the top ten teams moving into the playoffs, the Pelicans are desperately trying to cling onto that last spot. They currently sit 1.5 games ahead of the Trail Blazers with just 14 games to go.
Since being traded to New Orleans, C.J. McCollum has been electric. He has averaged 27.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in 12 games. Unfortunately, he is still considered questionable for this one as he is in COVID-19 protocols.
With McCollum questionable and Brandon Ingram still out with a hamstring issue, Jonas Valanciunas is the next leading scorer for the Pelicans. In 62 games, he is averaging 17.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
Devonte Graham (12.6 points, 4.4 assists) and Herbert Jones (9.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists) have also had nice seasons.
Take The Suns To Win On The Road
This just seems like a bit of a mismatch, particularly due to health concerns. Granted, the Suns are still without Chris Paul, but they have enough depth to make up for it.
If C.J. McCollum has to miss again, it is just hard to imagine the Pelicans having enough to keep this one close.
Obviously, pay attention to McCollum’s availability, but there is a lot of value in taking the Suns not only to win but don’t be afraid to bet them to cover the five-point spread too.
