New Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns NBA Playoff Picks, Predictions, and Odds: Game 1

Phoenix Suns dominated the regular NBA season and they were in the lead in the overall standings practically from start to finish. Meanwhile, the Pelicans had to go through the play-in tournament to reach the playoffs. Now it’s time for Game 1 of their series.

The Suns were the best team in the regular season and their record shows it, but it doesn’t show how Phoenix was as convincing even when playing withotu Paul or Booker this season. So, Phoenix Suns are one of the main favorites to go all the way in these NBA playoffs and win the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Phoenix Suns Stats:

Regular Season Record: 64-18

ATS: 44-38-0

Over/Under: 40-41-1

On the other hand, the Pelicans were the ninth seed in the regular season and they had to win twice in the play-in tournament to get into the NBA playoffs. They managed to beat both the Spurs and the Clippers to take the eighth seed and get a chance to play the Suns in the first round of the NBA playoffs in the Western Conference.

New Orleans Pelicans Stats:

Regular Season Record: 38-46

ATS: 41-40-1

Over/Under: 32-48-2

So, here are my picks and predictions for Sunday’s NBA matchup between the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns.

New Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns Game Info

Date/Time: Sunday, April 17, 2022, 9:00 p.m. ET
TV: TNT (Find out how to stream the game)
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ

New Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns Odds Analysis

As expected, the Suns are a double-digit favorites in this game (-10.5). As the team that’s the first seed in the entire NBA and with them hosting Game 1, that’s hardly surprising. These two teams played four games in the regular season and the Suns won three of them, all three by eleven points or more.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans vs Suns total points line is set at 225.5 points, which seems a bit high to us. However, two of the four h2h duels between the Pelicans and the Suns in the regular season have gone over this total. Also, two of their four games have gone over for the total point line for those games.

New Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns Picks

We’ve covered some key stats for this game. Now, here are our NBA betting picks for Pelicans vs Suns:

Phoenix Suns to Cover the Spread (-10.5) @ -110 (Odds via Caesars)

As we already mentioned, the Suns have beaten the Pelicans three times in the regular season and every time they won by eleven points or more. So, we would be surprised to see the Pelicans come under the spread in Game 1 of the playoffs, especially with the game set to be played in Phoenix.

That being said, the Pelicans did very well to even reach the playoffs by eliminating the Spurs and the Clippers. The team has been playing well ever since they traded for CJ McCollum and they’ve secured a playoff spot despite being without Williamson the entire season. Zion will miss this game as well, while the Suns have all of their key players at their disposal.

Bet on NBA Playoffs With Caesars

Under 225.5 Total Points @ -110 (Odds via FanDuel)

In the regular season, two of the four duels between the Pelicans and the Suns have gone under the line of 225.5 total points. Since these are the playoffs, we can see this game going under as well. After all, we all remember the defense that the Suns played last season in the playoffs.

In addition to this, the Pelicans have gone under 48 times in the regular season, despite their offensive talent and defensive inefficiencies. So, under 225.5 total points sounds like a reasonable bet for this game.

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Our Bonus Player Prop Pick: Deandre Ayton Over 18.5 Total Points @ -115 (Odds via BetRivers)

Deandre Ayton proved to be a crucial part of the Suns last season in the playoffs, especially his contribution on the defensive end against some of the best centers in the league. However, he also had some impressive offensive outputs in the Suns’ run to the NBA Finals.

This regular season, Ayton averaged a bit over 17 points. We can see him scoring at least 19 points tonight since the Pelicans are not known as a great defensive team and since their first center Jonas Valanciunas is hardly a great defender. Expect the Suns and Ayton to exploit that in the paint.

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