Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 4/22/2022 Preview and Pick

Game: Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Friday, April 22, 2022

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Phoenix (+1)

Smoothie King Center is where the New Orleans Pelicans (36-46) will take on the Phoenix Suns (64-18) on Friday in Game 3 of their series. The series is tied 1-1. New Orleans opens this game as 1-point favorites. The total is 221.5.

The Suns took a loss by a score of 125-114 in Game 2. When it comes to fouls, the Suns ended up finishing with 18 and the Pelicans recorded 17 fouls. They converted 17 of 30 tries from beyond the arc. New Orleans finished shooting 80.0% from the free throw line by making 16 of 20 attempts. Moreover, New Orleans grabbed 32 rebounds (11 offensive, 21 defensive) and added 3 blocks. New Orleans recorded 43 dimes and had 32 steals in this contest. When talking about defending, Phoenix allowed the other team to go 54.8% from the field on 46 out of 84 shooting. They also doled out 26 assists in this contest as well as forcing the opposition into 6 turnovers and getting 9 steals. Concerning grabbing rebounds, they compiled a total of 33 with 8 of them being of the offensive sort. At the charity stripe, the Suns made 15 of their 18 attempts for a percentage of 83.3%. Phoenix ended having earned a 50.0% FG percentage (43 out of 86) and made 13 of their 35 shots from distance.

Devin Booker is a guy who played a role for the matchup. Booker finished shooting 63.2% from the field and recorded 1 assist. He saw the court for 25 mins and also totaled 2 boards. He ended up walking away with 31 points on 12 of 19 shooting.

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Phoenix will play this game with a mark of 64-18 on the season. They turn it over 12.9 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 19.9 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Phoenix is pulling down 45.3 boards per contest and has accumulated 2,244 assists for the campaign, which is 4th in basketball in terms of passing. The Suns are connecting on 36.4% on shots from distance (951 of 2,616) and 79.7% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 114.8 points per contest (5th in the NBA) while shooting 48.5% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Suns are forcing 14.7 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.9 fouls. They are giving up 34.0% on shots from distance while they are 8th in the NBA in points per game allowed (107.3). The Suns defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 44.4% (3,216 of 7,243) and they concede 44.5 rebounds per game as a unit. They currently rank 3rd in the league in giving up assists with 1,875 relinquished so far this season.

In the rebounding department in Game 2, New Orleans permitted Phoenix to pull down 25 in all (8 offensive). They went 37.1% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 13 out of 35 and walked away from this one shooting 15 out of 18 from the free throw line (83.3%). The Pelicans permitted the Suns to knock down 43 of their 86 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 50.0% in the matchup. When all was said and done, the Pelicans finished shooting 46 for 84 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 54.8%. With regard to shots from 3-point land, New Orleans knocked down 17 of their 30 attempts (56.7%). They were able to convert 16 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 80.0%. The Suns had 12 personal fouls for the game which got the Pelicans to the free throw line for 20 tries. They also turned it over 17 times, while recording 7 steals in the game. The Pelicans pulled down 32 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards for a total of 43 for this game.

Brandon Ingram ended up being a major contributor for the Pelicans for this game. Ingram earned 37 points in his 39 minutes on the hardwood and accounted for 9 dimes for this contest. He knocked down 13 of 21 in the matchup for a rate of 61.9%, and had 11 rebounds.

New Orleans has a record of 36-46 on the season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Pelicans are shooting 45.7% from the field, which is ranked 23rd in the NBA. New Orleans has 8,962 pts on the season (109.3 per contest) and they grab 45.2 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 25.0 times per game (13th in the league) and they are turning it over 14.1 times per contest. The Pelicans are responsible for committing 19.7 fouls per contest and they connect on 78.9% from the charity stripe.

The Pelicans on the defensive side of the court are 13th in the NBA in points allowed per game with 110.3. They are able to force 14.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 47.1% from the floor (24th in the NBA). The New Orleans defense concedes 36.5% on three-point shots (1,064 of 2,913) and opponents are connecting on 78.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 24.9 assists and 41.8 total boards per game, ranking them 15th and 3rd in the league.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Phoenix (+1)

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