Game Time: 10:00 PM ET, Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 

Venue:  Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona 

Where to Watch: TNT

DraftKings:  Suns -6.5; O/U 215.5

Fanduel:  Suns -7; O/U 215

BetMGM: Suns -6.5; O/U 215.5

Pelicans: 36-46, 8th place Western Conference; 2-2 in the series

Suns: 64-18, 1st place Western Conference; 2-2 in the series

An NBA Western Conference Playoff matchup between the #8 Seed and the #1 Seed…. And it is already painfully embarrassing for the #1 Seed.  The New Orleans Pelicans started this last season as a total 1-12 disaster.  They had a new rookie head coach… they had an injured superstar PF.. And they had a previous year’s first round pick injured… well they still have a rookie head coach… they still have an injured superstar PF… and they still have an injured previous season’s first round pick.  Something happened along the way though: SF Brandon Ingram grew up into a star player… and the team moved unwanted pieces for SG CJ McCollum from the Portland Trail Blazers. The result is a grown team… but there is so much more.  There is evidence that the rookie head coach (Willie Green) will be a great coach asd his 2nd round pick rookie and his undrafted rookie are playing like potential all-timers… just now.  Coach Green grew Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado in some sort of genius incubator… Personally I hope this team trades PF Zion Williamson and PG Kira Lewis Jr for future picks… so they do not upset this already blooming great team.  The Phoenix Suns are the best team in the league by record… but they didn’t grow any.  Also SG Devin Booker is out with injury… making them vulnerable.  The biggest, most undeniable thing though is that PG Chris Paul is CURSED.  Stay away from him or ill-fortune will befall you.  Make no mistake CP3 is a Hall of Famer and probably the best point guard of the last 2 decades… but every time he is on a good team with good teammates… either he or his star teammates get injured… sometimes both.  CP3 has very few years left to break the curse.  So?... Where does our money belong?

The New Orleans Pelicans are 2-2 in the series AND 2-2 ATS.  They have been underdogs in all 4 games… but stole 2.  The spread has popped back up to 6.5 since being as low as 2 and 2.5 when the Pelicans were the home team.  They won the last game against the Suns 118-103 while getting great games out of SF Brandon Ingram and C Jonas Valanciunas 30 pts, 26 pts…. But the best game came from multi-positional rookie 2nd round pick Herbert Jones… his 13 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists don’t tell the whole picture… you have to add the 3 BIG amazing blocks…. Seriously Herbert floated just long enough to block multiple three point shot attempts from the air… clean, no contact, big man blocks… he also had 2 steals… and this avalanche of defense all seemed to pop up as the game was on the line late in the second half!  Herbert Jones is a keeper… film of that game alone should convince the Pelicans to trade Zion Williamson on draft day… Just to keep their new found star on the floor for the next decade.

The Phoenix Suns are 2-2 in the series and 2-2 ATS.  While this record is cause for celebration in New Orleans… In PHOENIX it is cause for concern if not downright panic!  Phoenix was the full-time best team in the regular season by a wide margin.  They won at home, they won on the road.. They won big and they gutted out close ones. Then as this series started… SG Devin Booker went down with injury.  The perfectly balanced Phoenix Suns with the perfectly deep bench had to move everyone up a spot to cover for losing their best player… the results have been humdrum… in fact nerve wrackingly pedestrian.  This same Suns team went up 2-0 in the NBA Finals last year before dropping four games straight to the Milwaukee Bucks.  Could that happen now?... Will CP3 ride off into the Sunset having never won anything of any importance?

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The Pelicans are 40-48 on the season, but 43-42-1 ATS.  They have logged 35 Overs, 49 Unders, and 2 Push.  They are 19-25 in road games.

The Suns are 66-20 on the season, but 46-40 ATS.  They have notched 43 Overs, 42 Unders, and 1 Push.

The Pelicans are 21st in scoring with 109.3 ppg, 11th in rebounds with 45.2 per game, and 16th in AST/To ratio with 1.8.  On defense they rank 13th while holding opponents to 110.3 ppg

The Suns are 5th in scoring with 114.8 ppg, 10th in rebounds with 45.3 per game, and 3rd in AST/TO ratio with 2.1.  On defense they rank 9th while holding the opponents to 107.3 ppg.

Our prediction for Tuesday, April 26th is….. Suns 118 - Pelicans 112

The bet is on the Pelicans to cover. SF Brandon Ingram will be playing great until his bubble is popped.  The Suns will be gutting everything out until SG Devin Booker gets back… but still home court will carry the Suns to the close win.

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The Pelicans are 46-34 ATS versus the Suns since 1996.

The Suns are 8-5 ATS versus the Pelicans over the last 3 seasons.

9 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER the last 3 seasons.

Pelicans: PF Zion Williamson (fat… um, I mean foot) Out ** PG Kira Lewis Jr (knee) Out

Suns: SG Devon Booker (hammy) Out ** SF Dario Saric (knee)

Pelicans: PF Jaxson Hayes, SF Brandon Ingram, C Jonas Valanciunas, PG CJ McCollum, SG Herbert Jones.

Suns: SF Mikal Bridges, PF Jae Crowder, C Deandre Ayton, PG Chris Paul, SG Cameron Johnson

Pelicans: Willie Green

Suns: Monty Williams