The teams with the two best records in the Western Conference are set to meet on Friday night in New Orleans. The Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans have both asserted themselves as Western Conference title contenders early in the year, but only one can win this marquee matchup in the Crescent City. In our NBA betting predictions for Friday night, we break down Suns vs Pelicans from Smoothie King Center.
Suns vs Pelicans Betting Pick
ℹ️ The Pick: | Pelicans +2.5 |
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This game will be played at Smoothie King Center at 8:30 PM ET on Friday, December 9, 2022.
Why Bet The Pelicans:
✅ The Pelicans are red hot, having won five straight games and shooting to the top of the Western Conference standings. They are 10-3 at home this season, and a great play as a home underdog here.
✅ The Suns have lost two straight games and are coming off of a blowout loss at the hands of the Boston Celtics. More importantly, they are a losing team on the road this season at 4-6, and their road woes will not subside here.
✅ Chris Paul made his return to the floor on Wednesday night against the Celtics, but he contributed just four points and posted a -28. He will need some time to get back into the swing of things on the court, and the Pelicans will take full advantage of that.
NBA
Phoenix Suns
New Orleans Pelicans
Team Stats Per Game
Team Stats Per 100 Poss
Offense/Defense
PHO | Team Stats Per 100 Poss | NO |
---|---|---|
82 | Games | 82 |
43.0 | FG | 41.3 |
87.2 | FGA | 89.0 |
.493 | FG% | .464 |
12.6 | 3Pt-FG | 13.8 |
33.0 | 3Pt-FGA | 39.5 |
.382 | 3Pt% | .349 |
30.4 | 2Pt-FG | 27.5 |
54.2 | 2Pt-FGA | 49.5 |
.561 | 2Pt% | .555 |
19.1 | FT | 16.6 |
23.6 | FTA | 21.1 |
.808 | FT% | .783 |
10.3 | ORB | 10.3 |
34.3 | DRB | 32.9 |
44.6 | TRB | 43.2 |
27.4 | AST | 27.3 |
7.5 | STL | 6.7 |
6.1 | BLK | 5.3 |
15.1 | TOV | 14.5 |
18.2 | PF | 18.7 |
117.6 | PTS | 112.9 |
Defense/Offense
PHO | Team Stats Per 100 Poss | NO |
---|---|---|
82 | Games | 82 |
42.5 | FG | 43.3 |
91.7 | FGA | 89.1 |
.464 | FG% | .486 |
13.3 | 3Pt-FG | 12.7 |
36.4 | 3Pt-FGA | 33.3 |
.364 | 3Pt% | .383 |
29.3 | 2Pt-FG | 30.6 |
55.3 | 2Pt-FGA | 55.9 |
.529 | 2Pt% | .548 |
16.3 | FT | 18.0 |
21.0 | FTA | 23.3 |
.774 | FT% | .771 |
11.1 | ORB | 10.6 |
30.7 | DRB | 34.2 |
41.8 | TRB | 44.8 |
26.6 | AST | 27.5 |
8.5 | STL | 8.5 |
4.6 | BLK | 4.7 |
12.9 | TOV | 13.3 |
19.9 | PF | 18.8 |
114.6 | PTS | 117.4 |
Four Factors
Offense/Defense
PHO | Four Factors | NO |
---|---|---|
.565 | eFG% | .541 |
13.4 | TOV% | 12.9 |
25.0 | RB% | 76.9 |
.219 | FT/FGA | .186 |
Defense/Offense
PHO | Four Factors | NO |
---|---|---|
.536 | eFG% | .558 |
11.3 | TOV% | 11.8 |
75.6 | RB% | 24.4 |
.178 | FT/FGA | .202 |
Analytics
PHO | Analytics | NO |
---|---|---|
49 | Pythag Wins | 52 |
33 | Pythag Losses | 30 |
3.06 | Margin Of Victory | 4.41 |
117.6 | O Rtg | 117.4 |
114.6 | D Rtg | 112.9 |
98.3 | Pace | 97.9 |
.271 | FTr | .261 |
.378 | 3PAr | .373 |
.603 | TS% | .591 |
Betting Trends
PHO | Betting Trends | NO |
---|---|---|
OVERALL | OVERALL | |
1-2-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 3-0-0 |
1-2-0 | ATS W/L/P | 2-1-0 |
114 | Avg Score | 114 |
116.67 | Avg Opp Score | 101 |
AWAY | HOME | |
2-1-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 3-0-0 |
2-1-0 | ATS W/L/P | 2-1-0 |
122 | Avg Score | 117 |
114 | Avg Opp Score | 104 |
PHO | Betting Trends | NO |
---|---|---|
OVERALL | OVERALL | |
2-3-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 5-0-0 |
2-3-0 | ATS W/L/P | 3-2-0 |
119 | Avg Score | 114.6 |
117 | Avg Opp Score | 102.4 |
AWAY | HOME | |
2-3-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 5-0-0 |
3-1-1 | ATS W/L/P | 3-2-0 |
122.2 | Avg Score | 116.8 |
117.8 | Avg Opp Score | 99.2 |
PHO | Betting Trends | NO |
---|---|---|
OVERALL | OVERALL | |
7-3-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 8-2-0 |
4-5-1 | ATS W/L/P | 6-4-0 |
116.9 | Avg Score | 117.4 |
111.6 | Avg Opp Score | 106.4 |
AWAY | HOME | |
4-6-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 8-2-0 |
5-4-1 | ATS W/L/P | 6-4-0 |
114.8 | Avg Score | 114.4 |
112.8 | Avg Opp Score | 103.7 |
Head to Head
Teams Last 10
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Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are coming off of one of the most embarrassing losses in their history on Wednesday night. They were beaten by 27 points by the Boston Celtics, though that margin does not come close to encapsulating just how badly Phoenix was beaten. The Suns were down by as many as 45 points in that game, and never stood a chance after a first quarter barrage from the team with the best record in the NBA.
On Friday night, the Suns will look to get back on track, but will need to overcome their substantial issues on the road to do so. Devin Booker will always be a threat for the Suns, but he will need more help from the likes of Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton, who combined to score 12 points against Boston.
New Orleans Pelicans
On Wednesday night, the New Orleans Pelicans grabbed their fifth straight win and moved to the top of the standings in the Western Conference by beating the Detroit Pistons. The game was rather close throughout, but New Orleans was able to make the plays they needed to late to put the game away. Here, New Orleans will hope for more of the same against a struggling Suns squad.
When these two teams played in the postseason last year, New Orleans was able to make up for the gap in top-end talent between themselves and the Suns on the offensive glass. Look for Jonas Valanciunas and Larry Nance Jr. to be incredibly influential in this game on the backboards to give the Pelicans a chance to beat the Suns once again.