The Phoenix Suns (28-8, 12-4 away) end their three-game road trip with a matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans (13-24, 7-10 home) in Western Conference NBA action. On Sunday, Phoenix knocked off the Charlotte, 133-99, while the Pelicans look to bounce back after a 115-104 defeat Monday night against Utah.
Tuesday night’s tipoff is at 8 p.m. EST inside the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA. Phoenix is a 7-point road favorite, and the over-under total is at 219 points.
What to Know – Phoenix Suns
Phoenix has lost three of their last five games but remain in second place in the Western Conference behind the Golden State Warriors. The Suns wrap up their road schedule against the Pelicans before heading back west for a two-game homestand to close out the week.
The Suns rank third in the league in scoring, averaging 112.3 points per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from the arc. On defense, the Suns hold opponents to 104.8 points per game, 43.9 percent shooting from the floor, and 32.8 percent from three.
Phoenix knocked down 17 3-point field goals in Saturday’s rout of the Hornets. The Suns combined the barrage of threes to holding the second-best scoring team in the league to under 100 points. Devin Booker led all scorers with 24 points for the Suns.
Phoenix is 19-17 against the spread this year with a 9-7 ATS record on the road. The Suns are 2-4 ATS over their previous six contests but 4-1 ATS over their last five against New Orleans.
What to Know – New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans are navigating a difficult row of games that included back-to-back double-digit losses to Milwaukee and Utah. New Orleans’ schedule doesn’t lighten up after Tuesday’s tilt with the Warriors coming to town on Thursday night. The Pelicans are 1-5 this season playing back-to-back nights.
New Orleans scores 105.2 points per game and shoots 43.5 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from three. The Pelicans’ defense surrenders 110.3 points per game while allowing teams to knock down 46.9 percent of their shots inside the arc and 37.1 percent beyond.
New Orleans played the Jazz close through the first half, but Utah used hot shooting from Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic to pull away in the second half. New Orleans shot just 40.2 percent from the floor, led by Jonas Valanciunas with 25 points, and Josh Hart added 15.
The Pelicans are 16-21 ATS on the season with a 10-7 mark ATS at home. New Orleans is 1-6 ATS in their last seven contests against teams from the Western Conference.
The Pick is In
Pheonix heads to New Orleans, facing a team that is on short rest and sputtering defensively. New Orleans is one of the worst perimeter defensive teams in the league, and the Suns will take advantage of it.
The Suns have tripped up in recent games but get a comfortable win Tuesday night before heading home.
Betting Pick: Phoenix Suns -7
