Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA
New Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns: A battle for the last playoff spot in the West
The New Orleans Pelicans are visiting the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Arena on Sunday.
The Pelicans are having a tough week
The New Orleans Pelicans are seventh in the Western Conference with a 45-32 record. They have lost the last four games and are coming off a 111-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The Pelicans are sixth in the league, shooting 37.8% from three-point territory, and are ranked eighth, shooting 48.7% from the field. Zion Williamson is the top player on the team, averaging 22.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
The Suns have won the last three games
The Phoenix Suns are sixth in the Western Conference with a 46-31 record. They have won the last three games and are coming off a 97-87 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Suns are fourth in the league, shooting 49.5% from the field, and are ranked tenth, averaging 116.6 points per game. Kevin Durant leads the team with 27.4 points per game, followed by Devin Booker with 27.3.
Betting Trends
The Suns have won 6 of the last 8 games against the Pelicans, they are 6-2 ATS in the last 8 games against the Pelicans and 6-2 ATS in the last 8 games against the Pels played at home. The Suns are 4-1 ATS in the last five games overall and 2-5 ATS in the last 7 games against teams from the Southwest Division. The Pelicans are 1-6 ATS in the last seven games overall and 0-5 ATS in the last five games played in April.
Prediction and Conclusion
This game may be decisive in terms of which team will finish among the top six in the West and advance to the playoffs and which one will have to go through the play-in tournament to achieve the same. The Pelicans were the first runners just a couple of weeks ago, but with them losing four straight and the Suns winning the last three, things have dramatically changed, and now the Suns have one win advantage. Brandon Ingram is still out for the Pelicans, and Zion Williamson is questionable, so the Suns are a major favorite and should win this one by covering the -6.5-point spread.
