New Orleans Pelicans at Phoenix Suns 12/29/20: NBA Basketball free preview, analysis, prediction, odds and pick against the spread.
2020-12-29 22:00:00 EDT
The New Orleans Pelicans invade the Phoenix Suns Arena to battle the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.
The New Orleans Pelicans have won two of their first three games of the season and they will be looking to build some momentum after sneaking past the Spurs in a 98-95 home win on Sunday. Brandon Ingram led the way with 28 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, Zion Williamson racked up 18 points with 11 rebounds and five steals while Lonzo Ball chipped in with 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals. As a team, the Pelicans shot just 38 percent from the field and a miserly five of 24 from the 3-point line, but they were committed on the defensive end all night, forcing the Spurs into 15 turnovers while grabbing 13 offensive boards. Still, it was encouraging to see a young team scrap their way to a win despite squandering a 15-point lead.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns have been in similar form as they have won two of their first three games of the season and they will be looking to stay hot after blowing past the Kings in a 116-100 road win on Sunday. Mikal Bridges led the team with 22 points on nine of 15 shooting, Devin Booker added 20 points with five assists, Cameron Johnson provided the spark off the bench with 21 points on seven of nine shooting while DeAndre Ayton chipped in with 11 points, 15 rebounds and four assists. As a team, the Suns shot 48 percent from the field and 14 of 35 from the 3-point line as they held the Kings to just 20 points in the second quarter to take a naritem lead into halftime, before outscoring the Kings by 60-47 to finish in a blowout.
Looking at the betting trends, the Pelicans are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games, 1-4 ATS in their last five games as a road underdog and 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall. The Suns are 7-0 ATS in their last seven home games, 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games against a team with a winning record and 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games overall.
Head to head, the over is 5-0 in the last five meetings overall, the Pelicans are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings overall and the Pelicans are 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings in Phoenix.
The Pelicans will be looking to build on their scrappy win over the Spurs on Sunday, but they’re up against a Suns team who are coming in fresh off a blowout win over the Kings. The Pelicans are just 1-5 ATS in their last six home games, but they are 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings against the Suns in Phoenix. This has all the earmarks of a close contest, so I’m sticking with the backcourt duo of Paul and Booker as the Suns eek out another win.
