Free NBA Pick: Pelicans vs. Suns NBA Odds
Looking for New Orleans Pelicans vs. Phoenix Suns free NBA picks & NBA odds? NBA betting sees the Pelicans taking on the Suns on Sunday, April 17th, 2022 at the Footprint Center. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Pelicans Suns matchup.
2022 NBA Playoffs Handicapping Round 1
(0-0) New Orleans Pelicans vs. Phoenix Suns (0-0)
Date: Sunday, April 70th
Time: 9:00 PM EST
Venue: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ.
NBA Moneyline Odds: Pelicans +800 | Suns -485 (Bet Now!)
NBA Betting Odds: Suns -10.5
NBA Betting Total: 224.5
Sunday, April 17th the eighth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns who possess the top seed in the NBA begin their first-round series.
Phoenix won the regular-season series 3-1 with wins on November 2nd (112-100), January 4th (123-110), and March 15th (131-115) while the Pelicans won the February 25th (117-102) match.
The Pelicans won both their play-in games to cement the eighth seed first taking down the Spurs 113-103 and then coming from behind to beat the Clippers 105-101 in LA.
Phoenix won the top seed and home-court throughout the playoffs by virtue of posting the top record of 64-18 with eight fewer losses than their nearest rival.
The Suns hold the advantage all-time winning 36 of the 68 matches versus the Pelicans and this is the first time the teams will meet in the postseason.
New Orleans Pelicans
They often say luck plays a big role in every team’s successful playoff bid and the Pelicans experienced that in their play-in game with the Clippers widely favored to move on to face the Suns.
But, on the day of the game, Paul George had to enter quarantine to abide by NBA COVID protocols.
The play-in game was much like their season as they built a lead of 16, lost it falling behind by 13 points before rallying and overcoming that deficit to win and land the eighth seed.
The result is the Pelicans return to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons and only the third in the last 11 years. The young roster has navigated this campaign that began with a 1-12 start and their star Zion Williamson out the entire season.
Brandon Ingram led the way with 30 points, six rebounds, and six assists while Larry Nance Jr. registered a double-double of 14 points and 16 rebounds.
Contributions came from both ends of the spectrum with veteran and new teammate CJ McCollum scoring 19 points and rookie Trey Murphy adding 14 points including some critical shots in clutch time.
Despite Williamson (foot) showing off 360 dunks, the star isn’t expected to return this season. Kira Lewis Jr. (ACL) is lost for the season.
Phoenix Suns
How teams react to adversity speaks a great deal about their identity and how they react to success might say even more. This year fans got to witness both ends of the spectrum of the good and bad versions of that dynamic.
On one side there was the Eastern Conference finalists the Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks who had established a home court seed via tough-nosed defense and a commitment to working harder than their opponents.
Unfortunately, both clubs rested on their laurels expecting to win simply because they had the year prior and learned the hard way that’s not how it works in the NBA.
More recently, the Wolves won a play-in seed and responded by acting like they won the NBA championship. The victory coupled with a single victory in their 2018 first-round series are the lone playoff highlights of the Wolves’ last 18 seasons.
While I applaud the confidence and enthusiasm of my dark horse West pick it still doesn’t excuse Karl-Anthony Towns telling the assembled media how fans will get to witness the potential two teams about to be the NBA’s new dynasties.
Ummm KAT you have to win a few titles before you use those big D words and you might want to look up the word humility instead.
To that end, the Suns are the team I call “the pros”, they just show up do their job, and win. No matter who suits up, no matter what the matchup is they are consistent, reliable, and professional winners.
Cameron Payne (knee) is probable while Landry Shamet (foot) is questionable for Sunday. Dario Saric (knee) remains out with no definitive return date.
NBA Betting Trends:
- New Orleans is 10-5 ATS in their last 15 games.
- Phoenix is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 11 of New Orleans’ last 15 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Phoenix’s last 5 games.
- Pelicans are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 playoff games as an underdog.
- Suns are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 Conference Quarterfinals games.
Free New Orleans Pelicans vs. Phoenix Suns NBA Prediction:
Unlike the trio of teams outlined above who have a need for culture and identity development beyond demonstrating swagger, the Suns used the pain of losing in the NBA finals to fuel them and motivate their continued growth and work ethic.
They may not have the biggest stars, be the best in all the stats categories, or even top many awards lists aside from Coach of the Year but they’re the odds on favorites to win the title because they are the most consistently excellent across all the categories.
Although I do think the Pelicans’ length and athleticism are the two things that can cause the Suns a few issues, I expect them to come out and send a message they mean business and THIS is what they’ve been waiting for every single day since July 20, 2021.
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