The Phoenix Suns (16-9) kick off a 4-game road trip Friday night with the first of 2 games against the New Orleans Pelicans (16-8). Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. ET at Smoothie King Center. Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Suns vs. Pelicans odds, and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.
The Suns have dropped 2 consecutive games and 3 of their last 4. In their last 2 games, they lost by 27 points at home to the Boston Celtics as 2-point favorites and by 19 points on the road to the Dallas Mavericks as 3.5-point underdogs.
The Pelicans have won 5 straight games and 8 of their last 10. Their last game was a 104-98 win at home over the Detroit Pistons as 11-point favorites.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Suns at Pelicans odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:15 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Suns -120 (bet $120 to win $100) | Pelicans +100 (bet $100 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Suns -1.5 (-110) | Pelicans +1.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 227.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Claim your risk-free bet up to $350. Catch the excitement and start betting with Tipico Sportsbook! New customer offer in CO and NJ. 21+, see Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. Bet now!
Suns at Pelicans key injuries
Suns
- F Jae Crowder (not with team) out
- F Cam Johnson (knee) out
- G Duane Washington Jr. (hip) out
Pelicans
- G Jose Alvarado (rib) questionable
- F Brandon Ingram (toe) out
- F Herbert Jones (ankle) out
- F E.J. Liddell (knee) out
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
Suns at Pelicans picks and predictions
Prediction
Suns 117, Pelicans 114
Moneyline
The return of G Chris Paul did not go well for the Suns against the Celtics but should improve. They are only 4-6 on the road this season after being the league’s best road team a season ago.
The Suns have not lost 3 consecutive games all season.
The Pelicans are 9-3 at home and have won 5 games in a row overall.
The Suns, though, have beaten the Pelicans 3 straight times and in 4 of the last 5 meetings.
I’m looking for a Suns team to bounce back to start the road trip. The moneyline isn’t a bad bet at all at -120, but with only a 1.5-point spread, you get slightly better value going with an ATS bet.
PASS.
Against the spread
The Pelicans are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games. The Suns are 5-5 ATS over their last 10.
New Orleans is 7-6 ATS at home while Phoenix is 5-5 ATS on the road.
I’m looking at the trend with the Suns where they are 7-1 ATS in game following a straight-up loss.
They are too talented to keep on this skid and the Pelicans are due for a hiccup.
BET SUNS -1.5 (-110).
Over/Under
The Over has hit in the Suns’ last 4 road games against teams with a winning home record. Five of their last 6 games have had at least 228 points.
Both teams have a top-10 offense and a top-10 defense. Which will prevail?
I expect a high-scoring, close game.
BET OVER 227.5 (-110).
Want action on this NBA game or any other matchups? Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, SportsbookWire’s official sportsbook partner in CO and NJ. Bet now!
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW, or try out our USA TODAY Parlay Calculator. Please gamble responsibly.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01fb7dafw2b08817yr player_id=01evcg1x9ny8tb834m image=]
Follow Jess Root on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Access more NBA coverage:
HoopsHype | Bulls Wire | Celtics Wire | Nets Wire | Rockets Wire | Sixers Wire | Thunder Wire | Warriors Wire | LeBron Wire | Rookie Wire | List Wire
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1368]