Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 12/9/2022 Preview and Pick

Game: Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Friday, December 9, 2022

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Bally Sports New Orleans

The Phoenix Suns are en route to Smoothie King Center on Friday where they will take on the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Suns played the Celtics and took a loss by a final of 125-98 in their last contest. In reference to fouls, the Suns ended up finishing with 17 while the Celtics recorded 20 fouls. They buried 16 out of their 45 shots from 3-point land. Boston ended up shooting 84.6% from the free throw line by burying 11 of 13 attempts. Furthermore, Boston totaled 53 boards (11 offensive, 42 defensive) and got 4 blocked shots. Boston doled out 29 assists and had 14 steals in this contest. In relation to defense, Phoenix allowed the other team to shoot 48.5% from the floor on 49 out of 101 shooting. They also recorded 19 dimes for this contest in addition to creating 12 turnovers and earning 5 steals. Regarding hauling in rebounds, they earned a total of 49 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Suns converted 16 of 19 shots for a percentage of 84.2%. Phoenix ended the game having earned a 39.8% field goal percentage (37 of 93) and knocked down 8 out of their 32 3-point shots.

Josh Okogie is a player who was a contributor for this game. Okogie finished the game at 57.1% from the field and dished out 2 assists. He played for 23 minutes played and pulled down 7 boards. He totaled 28 points on 8 of 14 shooting.

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Phoenix enters this game with a mark of 16-9 so far this season. They are losing possession via turnover 13.6 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 21.4 fouls every game. As a team, Phoenix is pulling in 43.4 rebounds per contest and has racked up 682 assists for the campaign, which ranks 5th in basketball in terms of passing. The Suns are hitting 37.9% on shots from beyond the arc (316 of 834) and 80.6% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 115.8 points per outing (7th in the NBA) while going 47.6% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Suns are able to force 15.8 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.4 fouls. They currently rank 7th in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 573 relinquished this season. The Suns defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 46.5% (987 of 2,124) and they relinquish 42.0 boards per contest as a basketball team. They are giving up 36.5% on shots from downtown and they are 8th in the league in points per game allowed (109.9).

When they last played, the Pelicans got the victory with a final of 104-98 when they faced the Pistons. When talking about attacking the glass, New Orleans permitted Detroit to snag 42 overall (8 offensive). They shot 35.7% from behind the 3-point line by going 15 of 42 and ended up going 13 out of 16 at the free throw line (81.3%). The Pelicans allowed the Pistons to make 35 of their 90 tries from the field which had them sitting at 38.9% for the game. Overall, the Pelicans went 39 for 85 from the field which had them at 45.9%. When discussing shots from beyond the perimeter, New Orleans knocked down 8 out of their 27 attempts (29.6%). They were able to knock down 18 of those for a rate of 78.3%. The Pistons committed 23 fouls in this contest which took the Pelicans to the free throw line for 23 tries. They coughed up the ball 18 times, while earning 8 steals for the matchup. The Pelicans earned 40 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards totaling 50 for the game.

Zion Williamson ended up having an impact for the Pelicans in this game. Williamson tallied 29 points in his 33 minutes on the court and totaled 5 dimes in this game. He knocked down 11 out of 16 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 68.8%, and tallied 10 rebounds.

New Orleans has a record of 16-8 for the campaign. On the offensive side of the court, the Pelicans are hitting on 48.4% from the field, which ranks 5th in the NBA. New Orleans has tallied 2,801 points for the campaign (116.7 per game) and they average 45.3 boards per game. They are earning an assist 26.9 times per game (9th in the league) and they are turning it over 14.8 times per game. The Pelicans commit 19.7 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 79.3% from the charity stripe.

The Pelicans on the defensive end are ranked 6th in the league in points per game surrendered with 109.8. They have forced 16.1 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 45.9% from the floor (9th in the NBA). The New Orleans defense concedes 32.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter (288 of 881) and their opponents are converting on 78.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 24.9 dimes and 42.0 total rebounds per game, which has them ranked 13th and 9th in basketball.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New Orleans

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