Game Time: 3:30 PM ET, Sunday, April 17th, 2022 

Venue:   Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona

Where to Watch: TNT 

DraftKings:  Spread: Suns -10.5; O/U 225.5

Fanduel:  Spread:  Suns -10; O/U 225

BetMGM:  Spread: Suns -10.5; O/U 225.5

Pelicans: 36-46, 8th place Western Conference

Suns: 64-18, 1st place Western Conference

An NBA Western Conference Playoffs, Round one - Game 1.  The 8th place team who finished the season with 36 wins and a losing record and the first place team who finished the season with 64 wins and a .780 win percentage.. Will ceremoniously battle for the next round.  The question on everyone’s mind is of course: will the Pelicans win 1 game?  The other question is will the spread give us enough room to bet on the Pelicans while knowing the Suns may sweep them out of the playoffs?  The Pelicans have the joy of having won their way through the Play-In tournament… they knocked off the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers.  The Suns have the joy of not needing a Play-in game since late january.  A great betting opportunity is here… and each game of this series the betting opportunity will be about whether or not the Suns will cover the King Sized spreads.

The New Orleans Pelicans have won 7 of their last 10 games including the two Play-In wins.  They went 6-4 ATS during that stretch.  The Pelicans have had some wonderful developments in the “sort of” postseason duo of games… Specifically, role player Herbet Jones, a rookie 2nd round pick, is proving himself very capable of playing big league defense and providing positive hustle plays.  The other is PG Jose Alvarado… an undrafted rookie who is proving he belongs in the league again through defense and hustle.  The team relies on star SG CJ MCCollum and star SF Brandon Ingram.  In Pelicans wins, either one or both of these guys have big scoring games.  In the Clippers win Brandon Ingram had 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.  In the San Antonio win CJ McCollum had 32 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists.  The problem with this team is they are about to face a team that is strong at every position… not just two.

The Phoenix Suns have had a nice break since the season came to an end.  They got to watch a tournament on TV that would tell them ultimately who they will be beating in the first round of the Playoffs… and most importantly they got to rest PG Chris Paul who will be returning from injury.  The Suns won 6 of their last ten games as they started resting key players in the NBA’s final week and a half.  They went 5-5 ATS during that stretch.  The Suns are a supremely confident, well-built team.  They have future Hall of Famer at the height of his skills running the point… and the host of good to great players that make up the Phoenix roster have all bought in to CP3’s leadership… They put it all on the floor on both ends whenever they play.  The result this year was the winningest team in the NBA.  There are several all-stars on this roster like PG Chris Paul, SG Devin Booker and Center DeAndre Ayton.. Though none of their egos are too big to do the dirty work…none of them are too selfish to pass to the correct play.  SF Mikal Bridges is the one guy to always watch… he is a young near perfect two-way player… Bridges gives it all on defense and chips in opportunity points… like the 22 he had against a Golden State team that was desperately trying to get a win.  The best thing about Bridges is that he is the NBA’s current Iron man… He has been available in every possible game for the 4 seasons in Phoenix AND the 3 seasons he played in college.

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The Pelicans are 38-46 on the season, but 41-40-1 ATS.  They have logged 32 Overs, 38 Unders, and 2 Push.  They are 18-24 in road games.

The Suns are 64-18 on the season, but 44-38 ATS.  They have notched 40 Overs, 41 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 32-9 in home games.  Completely dominant in home games.

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 allowing 110.3 ppg from opponents.

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 opponents to 107.3 ppg.

Our prediction for Sunday, April 17th is…..  Suns 123 - Pelicans 100

The Suns will blanket the Pelicans.  The Pelicans have had a good run, but it is still obvious that the key pieces in supporting roles are rookie 2nd round picks and an undrafted rookie.  Yes you can find players anywhere… but you can’t find as much experience as this Suns team will take the floor with.  The Pelicans will take a hard loss and a loss ATS before regrouping and trying again.  Then we can discuss where Vegas puts the spread in Game 2.  For now… take the easy money. 

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New Orleans is 23-14 ATS versus Phoenix at Phoenix since 1996.

6 of 9 games in this series have gone Over the last 3 seasons.

Phoenix is 96-78 ATS as a favorite the last 3 seasons.

Pelicans: PF Zion Williamson (foot) Simply no longer plays ** PG Kira Lewis Jr (knee) Out

Suns: SF Dario Saric (knee) Out - Has missed the whole season.

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

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

Pelicans: Willie Green

Suns: Monty Williams