Phoenix Suns (43-31) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (45-29)
April 1, 2024 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: New Orleans Pelicans +1.5; Over/Under: +225
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The Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans meet Monday in NBA action at the Smoothie King Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Suns vs Pelicans prediction.
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns have been in decent shape as they’ve won four of their last six games overall, but they will be hoping to bounce back in this one after getting shocked by the Thunder in a 128-103 road defeat on Friday. Kevin Durant led the team with 26 points on 10 of 17 shooting, Bradley Beal added 15 points while Grayson Allen chipped in with 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists. As a team, the Suns shot 44 percent from the field and 13 of 41 from the 3-point line, but they just couldn’t defend against the ball movement of the Thunder and were always playing in quicksand after getting outscored by 36-27 in the second quarter. The Suns got next to no support from their bench players, but they allowed the Thunder to shoot over 60 percent from the field for most of the contest and they needed more from Devin Booker who scored just 14 points.
New Orleans Pelicans
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans have been in pretty good form as they’ve won 10 of their last 14 games overall, but they will be looking for a better performance in this one after getting routed by the Celtics in a 104-92 loss on Saturday. Zion Williamson led the team with 25 points with nine rebounds and four assists, CJ McCollum added 24 points with five assists while Herbert Jones chipped in with 18 points. As a team, the Pelicans shot just 39 percent from the field and 13 of 35 from the 3-point line as they set the tone with 37 points in the first quarter to take an early 11-point lead, only to go ice-cold and score just 20 points in the second quarter and a measly 11 points in the third quarter to fall behind by as many as 22 points. Trey Murphy had a quiet game of just 11 points on three of 10 shooting while no bench player scored more than five points. The Pelicans will take on the Magic after this one.
New Orleans Pelicans Team Facts
- The Pelicans have won each of their last seven games against Western Conference opponents following a loss.
- The Pelicans have covered the spread in each of their last six games against Western Conference opponents following a loss.
- Each of the Pelicans’ last six home games against the Suns following a home loss have gone OVER the total points line.
Phoenix Suns Team Facts
- The Suns have won seven of their last eight games following a road loss.
- The Suns have covered the spread in seven of their last eight games following a road loss.
- Eleven of the Suns’ last 12 games at Smoothie King Center have gone OVER the total points line.
Suns vs Pelicans prediction
The Suns are still a little shorthanded with Damion Lee is still out, while the Pelicans are still missing Brandon Ingram and Jose Alverado. The Suns were on a nice run before they laid an egg against the Thunder in their last outing, and you could say the same about the Pelicans, who were rolling before losing to the Celtics on Saturday. I can understand why the Suns are still slight favorites as the road team. The Pelicans have been the better team over the past three weeks, and I think they can pull off the minor upset at home in this spot.
