The New Orleans Pelicans head to America West Arena to take on the Phoenix Suns. The game starts at 10:30 pm ET on Friday, Dec. 18 and will air on ESP, FSN and FAZ.
The Suns got blown out by the Warriors 128-103 on Wednesday. Mirza Teletovic was the team’s high scorer, finishing with 24 points. The Pelicans, meanwhile, are coming off a 104-94 win over the Jazz on Wednesday. Ryan Anderson led the game in scoring with 24 points on 5-for-10 shooting.
Over the last five games, Jrue Holiday has been on fire for the Pelicans. During that stretch, he has averaged 16.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 2.8 three-pointers.
The Pelicans have won both contests against the Suns this season, including a 120-114 victory in their last matchup. In the loss, Brandon Knight had a double-double with 29 points and 10 assists.
The Suns, a four-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against New Orleans. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at 214 points. The Suns enter the game with records of 11-16 Straight Up (SU) and 12-15 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 3-7 ATS. The Suns come into the game with the fourth-ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 104.8 points per game. The Suns are an impressive three-point shooting team with 9.0 made per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA. If its opponents turn the ball over, Phoenix has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 18.2 points off turnovers, making them the fifth-best team in the league for that category.
On the other side, the Pelicans head into the game with records of 9-16 ATS and 7-18 SU. Most recently, New Orleans is a meager 3-7 ATS over the last 10 games.
The Pelicans’ win over Phoenix in their last clash evened up the two teams’ head-to-head record over their last 10 games. The Pelicans hold the advantage ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Pho, ATS Winner – NO, O/U – Over
Notes
Phoenix is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
Phoenix is 4-11 SU in its last 15 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Phoenix’s last 25 games at home.
Phoenix is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Phoenix is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
Phoenix is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing New Orleans.
Phoenix is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing New Orleans.
Phoenix is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against New Orleans.
Phoenix is 8-17 ATS in its last 25 games when playing at home against New Orleans.
Phoenix is one of the top scoring teams, averaging 104.8 points per game (ranked fourth). New Orleans, on the other hand, gives up 107.7 points per game (ranked 29th).
On average, Phoenix puts up 107.4 points per home game (ranked third). New Orleans ranks 24th in points allowed per road game with 105.1.
In its last game, Phoenix lost by a 25-point margin. New Orleans is 0-4 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Phoenix has a 4-3 record in blowouts.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a split 2-2 record when they limit their opponents to fewer than 100 points. The Phoenix Suns have a winless 0-9 record this season when they score less than 100.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Pelicans are just 5-16 this season. Phoenix is a solid 11-7 when registering triple digits.
The Suns have a defensive rating of 104.7 (ranked 21st), while the Pelicans rank 18th for their offensive rating of 102.3.
Phoenix has an average field goal percentage of 45.0% (ranked ninth). New Orleans is a subpar 3-11 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the Phoenix Suns attempt 26.0 three point field goals per game and the New Orleans Pelicans attempt 24.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, both teams have losing records; Phoenix is 6-11 and New Orleans is 4-9.
Phoenix has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.30 this season (ranked 29th). New Orleans ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.60 (ranked ninth).
The Phoenix Suns rebound 43.8 times per game and are ranked 16th. Ranked 25th, the New Orleans Pelicans rebound 41.8 times per game.
The New Orleans Pelicans rank 28th in offensive rebounding, while the Phoenix Suns rank 19th in defensive rebounding.
Phoenix is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.5% (ranked 10th). New Orleans has a subpar record of 1-5 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.5% or greater.
