New Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns Prediction, Odds & Tips 01/04/24

New Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns. Shape of the Teams

The New Orleans Pelicans host the Phoenix Suns at home on Easter Monday in what will likely be a quite close game. The Pelicans come into the game as the slight favourite, but depending on who actually shows up to really play, it could go either way.

Throughout the entire NBA season, the head-to-head matchups between these rosters have been a coin flip every single time. This time around, however, the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans both find themselves relatively healthy and ready outside of Brandon Ingram.

Devin Booker and Kevin Durant will likely carry the bulk of the load for the Suns as usual, while the Pelicans play a more well-rounded style of play, with Zion Williamson taking a ton of shots.

Williamsons’ bully ball down low could pose some issues for the softer Jusuf Nurkić and it’s not like we’re going to see KD really playing a shot-blocker role.

Odds via Tonybet

New Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns	April 1, 8:00 p.m EDT
New Orleans odds	-112
Phoenix odds	-109
New Orleans spread -4.5	+137
Phoenix spread -4.5	+140

That being said, the New Orleans Pelicans really don’t have any answer for Durant on the perimeter, and will likely struggle to even slow the guy down. KD will be draining a ton of threes from deep, and if you try to go contest, he’s going to easily rip to the basket, and while Jonas Valanciunas has some solid strength, he’s going to catch a quick Euro and poster.

Neither roster really has the defensive capabilities to stop the other, so it’ll really come down to how potent each offence is. You’re not stopping or slowing KD, and while Williamson can be stopped by a big body like Joel Embiid, the Suns don’t have that type of personnel.

Nonetheless, we have to go with the slight underdog Suns going into Monday’s game. With the duo of KD and Booker healthy, Williamson really needs a second solid scoring option like Brandon Ingram, but he is still out with some knee issues.

If the Pelicans can keep the game close into the fourth quarter it really could be anyone’s game, but there is a decent chance the Suns walk away with it in the third.

New Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns Bucks Prediction

Pick: Phoenix Suns -4.5
Odds: +137 (Tonybet)

Throughout the season the Suns and Pelicans have both taken games off of each other, but going into Monday’s matchup we have to side with the slight underdogs – the Phoenix Suns.

As we mentioned above, if Brandon Ingram were to be playing, this would be a completely different story, but as of now, the Suns should have an edge down the stretch.

With KD’s 26.7 points per game and Booker’s 27, the Pelicans will have a lot of scoring to do in order to keep up with the Suns duo. And that’s not even to mention the Suns’ strong bench shooters like Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen.

However, the Pelicans definitely still have a shot, especially with how weak the Suns are on the inside. With Williamson’s generational athleticism, he should be able to put down a couple of posters and abuse the rim.

It’s just a question of whether or not Williamson’s scoring will be enough as his stats across the last 10 games sit at 26.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists – definitely solid numbers but not enough to really carry anything. And adding insult to injury, he hasn’t had any real crazy showing as of late outside of a 36-point night against the terrible Detroit Pistons.

Furthermore, New Orleans’ perimeter defence isn’t the best in the NBA by any means, leaving much to be desired, especially against such an elite shooting team like the Suns.

If you don’t quickly close out on any number of shooters across Phoenix’s line you will be burned, bad. And even if you do manage to get a hand in the shooter’s face, the Suns always have a player to kick to, taking advantage of that shooting depth.

That is all to say we feel that the Phoenix Suns have a decent shot at covering a -4.5 spread, and could even put the Pelicans in a hole depending on lineups. Don’t get us wrong, New Orleans is a solid team through and through, but we have to side with the Sun’s scoring.

New Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns Player Pick

Pick: Kevin Durant to score more than 25.5
Odds: -116 (Tonybet)

Kevin Durant is a name we’re all pretty familiar with, as he’s arguably the best scorer to ever lace up in the NBA. With a seamless jump shot, fluid handles, and decent hops for a guy his size and age, there’s a reason KD is a top 10 player of all time.

However, KD has been on somewhat of a scoring slump over the past 10 games, averaging a decent 23.2 points per game.

Don’t let that discourage you though, as that is more a symptom of how many minutes he has been playing each game and less about his play. Just take a look at his dominant 37-point game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

We also really cannot understate how unequipped the New Orleans Pelicans are to deal with KD. They have no real vertical size at the three or four, which could pose any threat to Durant, and while Williamson is a solid shot blocker at 6’8 (205cm), he isn’t touching a jump shot.

This could potentially be a solid bet, especially considering KD will likely play a decent number of minutes and be really doing for a dub in this one. It shouldn’t be a crappy 13-point night like against the Charlotte Hornets the other day.

Disclaimer: Odds are accurate at the time of posting and subject to change. Please verify the latest odds on our platform before betting.

New Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns Prediction, Odds & Tips 01/04/24

New Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns. Shape of the Teams

Odds via Tonybet

New Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns Bucks Prediction

New Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns Player Pick

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