Suns vs. Pelicans NBA Prediction – Friday, April 22, 2022

The New Orleans Pelicans picked up a crucial victory in Game 2 of their series against the Phoenix Suns. The series will shift to New Orleans as the Pelicans aim to take a 2-1 series lead.

Phoenix wants to bounce back after a significant loss in Game 2. The Suns lost much more than the game on Tuesday night. We’ll get to that soon, but they’ll play Game 3 without one of their stars.

It should be a loud crowd in New Orleans, but will it be enough to defeat Phoenix? Let’s check out the odds.

The top NBA betting sites are in agreeance with this matchup. The Phoenix Suns are a (-1.5) point favorite over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Phoenix barely covered the 10-point spread in Game 1, scoring an 11-point victory. However, New Orleans won outright in Game 2, despite being a (+9.5) point underdog. Game 1 featured 209 points, while Game 2 was 239 points. The over/under for Game 3 sits right around 216 points.

Unfortunately, the Suns won’t have Devin Booker for Game 3. Booker suffered a Grade 1 hamstring and will likely miss the remainder of the series.

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker could miss 2-to-3 weeks with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, @WindhorstESPN reports: https://t.co/qVtopVU3Ld

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 21, 2022

It’s a tough blow for Phoenix, but they have enough firepower to withstand the injury.

New Orleans doesn’t have any new injuries, so they’re looking strong for Game 3. Let’s see which side has the upper hand for this matchup.

The Phoenix Suns came into the playoffs as the NBA Finals’ favorite. A record-setting season led to Monty Williams being the odds-on favorite to win Coach of the Year.

Phoenix looked great in Game 1, and they were cruising in Game 2. Then came Devin Booker’s hamstring injury. The injury opened the door for the New Orleans Pelicans and Brandon Ingram.

Check out his numbers in Game 2.

There has been much hype surrounding CJ McCollum and his impact on the Pelicans. However, Ingram has remained their star player. His big performance brought the Pelicans back into the series.

All of a sudden, New Orleans looks like the more confident team. Still, I wouldn’t write off the Suns. They went 8-6 without Booker, but three of those losses came when the Suns rested their starters.

Phoenix still has star players in Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton. Ayton has fallen one rebound short of recording a double-double in both games. He only attempted six shots in Game 2, so I expect him to be more aggressive in Game 3.

Paul stuffed the stat sheet with a very impressive Game 1 performance.

He hasn’t been a big scorer this season, but the Suns will need him to take on a more aggressive role. I expect the same from Mikal Bridges, as he scored 19 points on 7-11 shooting in Game 2.

New Orleans will continue to rely on Ingram and McCollum, but their defense holds the key to victory. Who will step up on that end of the floor?

It’s an all under special for my same game parlay. It’ll give you (+455) odds, meaning you’ll earn $455 on a $100 bet.

Jae Crowder averaged 9.4 points in the regular season, but he didn’t close the season on a high note. Crowder only cleared this mark in two of his last nine regular-season games.

It has only gotten worse in the playoffs, as he has a combined six points on 2-15 shooting. Three of those points came from the free-throw line, as Crowder also hasn’t knocked down a three-pointer. He might take on a bigger role without Devin Booker, but I can’t back him with those shooting numbers.

Deandre Ayton was a beast on the boards all season. He had double-digit rebounds in nine of his last ten regular-season games. However, he has struggled against the New Orleans Pelicans this season.

Ayton is a good rebounder, but it’s a tough matchup with Jonas Valanciunas. He pulled down a combined 38 rebounds in the first two games. He should continue to keep Ayton off the glass.

Speaking of Valanciunas, my final player prop features his assist total. He averaged 2.6 in the regular season, but he has three in each of the Pelicans’ postseason games. However, I don’t believe that’ll continue.

Valanciunas only cleared this mark in four regular-season matchups with the Suns. That game also featured three assists, so it’s hard to count on that continuing. He’ll be big on the boards, but he shouldn’t be racking up many assists.

I know the Phoenix Suns lost Devin Booker, but this spread seems too low. The Suns are the better team with or without Booker. Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges should step up in Booker’s absence.

The New Orleans Pelicans offense has firepower, but I don’t have much faith in their defense. Also, Booker’s absence has me leaning towards the under for this matchup.

Fans can tune into Game 3 of this series Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Our NBA picks page will keep you updated throughout the 2022 playoffs.