Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 4/28/2022 Preview and Pick
Game: Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans
Date: Thursday, April 28, 2022
Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA
TV: TNT
Odds/Point Spread: Phoenix (-2)
The New Orleans Pelicans are hosting the Phoenix Suns at Smoothie King Center on Thursday in Game 6 of their series. The Suns lead 3-2. Phoenix opens this game as 2-point favorites from oddsmakers. The total is set at 214.5.
The Suns notched a win by a score of 112-97 in Game 5. Phoenix finished the game with a 50.0% field goal percentage (43 out of 86) and converted 10 of their 27 three-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Suns converted 16 of 20 shots for a percentage of 80.0%. In terms of hauling in boards, they earned 40 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 28 assists in the game while forcing 5 turnovers and having 10 steals. In the matter of defense, Phoenix allowed their opponent to shoot 40.0% from the field on 32 out of 80 shooting. New Orleans dished out 47 assists and had 14 steals in the matchup. On top of that, New Orleans had 34 boards (13 offensive, 21 defensive) and earned 4 blocks. New Orleans ended up shooting 80.0% when shooting free throws by making 28 of 35 shots. They made 5 out of their 25 shots from distance. In regard to fouls, the Suns ended up finishing with 25 and the Pelicans totaled 15 fouls.
Mikal Bridges is someone who was a major contributor in this matchup. He scored 31 points on 12 out of 17 shooting. He played for 47 minutes and also grabbed 5 rebounds. Bridges ended up going 70.6% from the floor and also dished out 2 assists.
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Phoenix will enter this contest with a mark of 64-18 for the campaign. They are turning it over 12.9 times per game and as a team they commit 19.9 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Phoenix is pulling down 45.3 boards per contest and has accumulated 2,244 assists so far this year, which is 4th in the league in terms of passing the ball. The Suns are hitting 36.4% on three-point shots (951 of 2,616) and 79.7% from the charity stripe. They average 114.8 points per game (5th in basketball) while hitting 48.5% from the field.
Defensively, the Suns are able to force 14.7 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.9 fouls. They are giving up 34.0% on shots from distance and they are 8th in the league in points per game from their opponents (107.3). The Suns defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 44.4% (3,216 of 7,243) and they concede 44.5 boards per contest as a team. They rank 3rd in the league in allowing assists with 1,875 conceded on the season.
In Game 5 the Pelicans were able to snag 34 defensive boards and 13 offensive boards for a total of 47 in the game. They turned it over 15 times, while getting 6 steals in this matchup. The Suns earned 9 fouls for this contest which took the Pelicans to the free throw line for a total of 35 shots. They were able to convert 28 of those for a rate of 80.0%. Concerning shots from beyond the perimeter, New Orleans made 5 of 25 attempts (20.0%). Overall, the Pelicans shot 32 for 80 from the floor which gave them a rate of 40.0%. The Pelicans permitted the Suns to knock down 43 of 86 attempts from the floor which had them at 50.0% for this contest. They finished the game shooting 37.0% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 10 out of 27 and finished the game at 16 of 20 from the charity stripe (80.0%). Concerning cleaning up the glass, New Orleans allowed Phoenix to pull down 34 in total (6 offensive).
Jonas Valanciunas pitched in for the Pelicans for the contest. Valanciunas tallied 17 points in his 32 minutes of playing time and tallied 3 assists for this contest. He converted 7 of 11 in this matchup for a rate of 63.6%, and had 14 rebounds.
New Orleans has a record of 36-46 for the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Pelicans are hitting on 45.7% from the floor, which is 23rd in the NBA. New Orleans has scored 8,962 points on the campaign (109.3 per game) and they grab 45.2 rebounds per contest. They are earning an assist 25.0 times per game (13th in the NBA) and they are losing possession via turnover 14.1 times per game. The Pelicans are responsible for committing 19.7 personal fouls every game and they hit 78.9% from the charity stripe.
The Pelicans on the defensive end are ranked 13th in the NBA in PPG given up with 110.3. They are able to force 14.2 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 47.1% from the floor (24th in the league). The New Orleans defense allows 36.5% on three-point shots (1,064 of 2,913) and opponents are knocking down 78.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 24.9 dimes and 41.8 total boards per game, which is 15th and 3rd in the league.
Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?
Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take New Orleans (+2)
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Additional Resources:
New Orleans Pelicans - Twitter
Phoenix Suns - Twitter