Phoenix Suns will host the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday evening in their first encounter in the NBA playoffs first round. The hosts look forward to meeting the expectations and celebrating a confident victory. The away side didn’t have much time to rest, but they will search for a surprise here.
Phoenix has been the best NBA team in the regular season, and they enter the playoffs full of confidence. The home side wants to pick up where it left off and kick off the series with a win. On the other hand, New Orleans needed to go through the play-in to clinch the post-season ticket. Nevertheless, the visitors don’t want to give up fighting in this difficult tie.
Phoenix Suns – Will they remain confident in the post-season?
The Suns enter the post-season from the pole position in the Western Conference, having a 64-18 record. Despite an inconsistent finish to the regular season, they were way ahead of the nearest rivals. Sacramento Kings managed to break their four-game winning streak on the home court in the closing match of the regular season. However, Phoenix rested several important players, which resulted in a 116-109 defeat. Despite dominating the paint with ten rebounds more than their opponents, the Suns had a poor 40.8 field goal percentage in that encounter.
Devin Booker has contributed the most to the Suns’ offense during the regular season, with 26.8 points, five rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.1 steals. Deandre Ayton has produced 17.2 pts while topping the rebs charts with 10.2 per match. Chris Paul is the team’s best assistant with 10.8 per contest while contributing with 14.7 points and 1.9 steals. Mikal Bridges has managed to cross the 14-point margin per game, while three other players average a double-digit number of pts. Besides Landry Shamet, who is questionable, all other players should be available to make appearances for Phoenix.
Expected Line-Up: Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Deandre Ayton
with best odds
New Orleans Suns – Can they produce a surprise?
The Pelicans go to this game after two play-in matches, where they were pretty successful. After beating the Spurs on the home court, they went on a trip to Los Angeles to face the Clippers. In a very close encounter, New Orleans managed to celebrate a 105-101 win, thanks to a good 48.9 field goal percentage and dominance in the paint. Brandon Ingram led them to the victory with 30 points, six rebounds, and six assists for 43 minutes on the court. Thanks to that success, the Pelicans secured their place in the NBA 2021-22 playoffs.
CJ McCollum made an instant contribution after joining the team in the mid-season trade, producing 24.3 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per contest. Brandon Ingram has contributed with 22.7 pts, 5.8 rebs, and a team-high 5.6 assists, while Jonas Valanciunas controls the paint with 11.4 rebounds and averaging 17.8 points. Devonte’ Graham contributes with 11.9 points and 4.2 assists per match. Thanks to a clean bill of health, the Pelicans won’t have any selection issues ahead of this clash.
Expected Line-Up: CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Herbert Jones, Jaxson Hayes, Jonas Valanciunas
Expert Pick #1 – Phoenix Suns -10.5 @-110
The Suns enter this series fully rested, and I expect nothing but their comfortable win. They managed to beat the Pelicans three times during the regular season, and all those wins were blowouts. Therefore, I’ll back the home side to win and cover as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Under 224.5 @-110
Although the margin is not set too high, I’ll go with the Under as my second bet. Phoenix’s last five games stayed under the margin, while the Under also cashed in 15 of the Pelicans’ previous 22 road games. That’s why I don’t see this game going over a 224.5 margin.
Expert Pick #3 – New Orleans Pelicans Under 106.5 @-120
Consequently, New Orleans shouldn’t produce more than 106 pts in this encounter. They head to this match after two tough games, and the Suns should keep their defense tight in this one. It is going to be my third pick at a bit lower odds than the two above.
