Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans Predictions, Odds & Player Props

Jan 19, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) holds back New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (5) on a free throw attempt during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY SportsThe Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans meet in a huge game in the Western Conference playoff race on MondayThe #8 Suns are two games back of the Pelicans for the #6 seedSee the Suns vs Pelicans odds, picks, predictions, and player props for April 1

Trying to work their way out of the Play-In Tournament in the West, the Phoenix Suns (43-31, 20-17 away, ATS) visit the New Orleans Pelicans (45-29, 21-15 home, ATS) at 7:10 pm CT tonight at the Smoothie King Center.

With Brandon Ingram still out due to a knee injury, the Suns vs Pelicans odds are effectively a pick’em.

Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans Odds

New Orleans is listed as a slight -120 moneyline favorite with the Suns at even-money to win. The game total is sitting at 223.5 in Monday’s NBA odds.

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Odds as of April 1 at BetMGM. Lock in a BetMGM promo code to wager on Suns vs Pelicans on Monday night. 

If the NBA playoff bracket was cemented today, the Suns would face the Kings in Sacramento in the 7-vs-8 Play-In Game. The Pelicans currently occupy the #6 seed, and would face the #3 Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.

Pelicans Surviving Sans Ingram

New Orleans has managed to go 3-2 straight-up since Ingram (20.9 PPG, 5.8 APG, 5.1 RPG) went down on March 21, including wins over Milwaukee (107-100 home) and Miami (111-88 away). Their two setbacks in that span came against OKC (119-112 home) and Boston (104-92 home).

Zion Williamson (22.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 5.0 APG) has led the Pelicans in scoring in four straight games, averaging 29.5 PPG in that span. He dropped a season-high 36 in a 114-101 win at Detroit last week.

Despite sitting sixth in the West, the Pelicans actually have the third-best point differential in the conference (+4.9) and fourth-best NET rating in the NBA (+5.2). That’s largely thanks to an elite defense which is holding opponents to 110.3 PPG and has posted the fourth-best D-Rating in the league (111.4), despite none of the Pelicans players featuring in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds.

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Suns Up-and-Down Play Continues

Phoenix secured arguably it most-impressive win of the season last Wednesday, taking down Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets 104-97 in Denver. That was the second time this season the Suns handed the Nuggets a home loss (which accounts for 25% of Denver’s setbacks at home this season).

But that laudable victory was sandwiched between a 104-102 loss to the Western Conference-worst Spurs and a 128-103 blowout in OKC.

Like the Pelicans, the Suns’ point differential is better than their positioning in the standings. At +2.7, Phoenix sits sixth in the West in scoring margin. They are also a top-ten team in Net Rating thanks mostly to a 117.4 O-Rating (ninth in the NBA).

Kevin Durant (27.6 PPG) and Devin Booker (27.0 PPG) both sit in the top ten in the NBA in scoring, while four other Phoenix players are averaging double-ps.

Monday’s game will be the second of three meetings between the Suns and Pels this season. Phoenix took a 123-109 victory in NOLA on Jan. 19, thanks to a 52-point outburst from Devin Booker.

PHX vs NOLA Player Props

Zion has the highest point total on the board at 26.5 followed by Booker (25.5) and Durant (24.5), while Suns big man Jusuf Nurkic leads the rebounding props at 9.5 O/U.

Suns vs Pelicans Prediction

New Orleans is one of the few teams in the NBA with a better record on the road (24-14) than at home (21-15), while Phoenix is a solid 20-17 away from home.

With the Lakers and Warriors – the #9 and 10 seeds in the West – both hot of late, Phoenix is closer to dropping into the 9-vs-10 Play-In Game than it is to catching the Pelicans for a top-six position. In other words, this is desperation time for Durant and company.

The first meeting between the teams – also in New Orleans – was a blowout. The Suns led by 17 at halftime and 20 after three quarters. While no one expects Monday’s game to be that lopsided, I will happily take the Suns at even-money to pick up a much-needed win against a team they already mauled.

PHX vs NOLA pick: Suns moneyline (-100) – two units

Sascha Paruk’s 2023-24 NBA betting record:

17-23 moneyline (+2.06 units)23-18-2 ATS (+4.90 units)0-1 over/under (-1.00 units)8-14 player props (-7.08 units)0-3 same-game parlay (-3.00 units)

All wagers one unit unless expressly stated otherwise