Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 4/1/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Monday, April 1, 2024

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Bally Sports New Orleans

Odds/Point Spread: Phoenix (-1)

Smoothie King Center is the site where the New Orleans Pelicans (45-29) will attempt to beat the Phoenix Suns (43-31) on Monday. New Orleans opens this matchup as 1-point dogs from oddsmakers. The total is set at 224.5.

The Suns played the Thunder and took a loss by a final of 128-103 in their last contest. Phoenix ended with a 44.8% FG percentage (39 out of 87) and made 13 out of their 41 three-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Suns made 12 of 15 shots for a rate of 80.0%. With respect to pulling down rebounds, they earned 39 with 13 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 26 assists for the matchup in addition to creating 10 turnovers and having 6 steals. With regard to defense, Phoenix allowed the other team to go 56.3% from the field on 49 out of 87 shooting. Oklahoma City doled out 33 assists and had 7 steals for this contest. Furthermore, Oklahoma City totaled 38 rebounds (7 offensive, 31 defensive) and got 6 blocks. Oklahoma City finished 100.0% from the charity stripe by making 14 of their 14 tries. They knocked down 16 out of their 30 attempts from beyond the perimeter. When discussing fouls, the Suns ended up finishing with 15 while the Thunder finished the game with 13 fouls.

Kevin Durant is a player who had an impact for the game. Durant went 58.8% from the floor and also dished out 1 assist. He played 31 mins and also collected 6 rebounds. He ended up walking away with 26 points on 10 of 17 shooting.

Get all of our NBA Picks Today

Phoenix enters this one with a win-loss record of 43-31 for the season. They turn it over 14.9 times per game and as a unit they are committing 18.0 fouls per contest. As a unit, Phoenix is snagging 44.3 rebounds per game and has racked up 1,999 assists so far this year, which is 11th in basketball in terms of passing. The Suns are shooting 38.1% on 3-pointers (907 of 2,380) and 80.4% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 116.7 points per outing (10th in basketball) while hitting 49.5% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Suns have forced 12.4 turnovers per game and they draw 19.9 personal fouls. They rank 13th in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,950 conceded on the year. The Suns defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 46.4% (3,129 of 6,743) and they surrender 41.2 boards per game as a basketball team. They are giving up 36.4% on shots from downtown while they are 16th in basketball in PPG allowed (114.1).

The last time they took the court, the Pelicans went home defeated by a final of 104-92 when they faced the Celtics. The Pelicans pulled down 31 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards totaling 41 in the game. They also coughed up the ball 9 times, while getting 9 steals for the matchup. The Celtics had 13 personal fouls for this contest which got the Pelicans to the free throw line for a total of 18 attempts. They were able to convert 11 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 61.1%. In terms of shooting from beyond the arc, New Orleans converted 13 out of 35 tries (37.1%). When the final whistle was blown, the Pelicans went 34 for 86 from the field which gave them a rate of 39.5%. The Pelicans permitted the Celtics to bury 39 out of their 82 tries from the field which had them at 47.6% for the game. They finished the game shooting 40.5% from beyond the arc by shooting 15 out of 37 and finished the contest at 11 of 12 at the free throw line (91.7%). Regarding how they cleaned up the glass, New Orleans allowed Boston to pull down 51 overall (8 offensive).

Zion Williamson ended up having an impact for the Pelicans in this matchup. Williamson tallied 25 points in his 40 minutes on the court and earned 4 dimes in this matchup. He buried 9 of 17 for this contest giving him a rate of 52.9%, and had 9 rebounds.

New Orleans has a win-loss record of 45-29 on the season. The Pelicans have committed 18.6 fouls per contest and they connect on 76.6% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 27.0 times per game (12th in the NBA) and they cough up possession 13.0 times per game. New Orleans has scored 8,528 points on the season (115.2 per contest) and they average 44.4 rebounds per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Pelicans are shooting 48.7% from the floor, which has them ranked 8th in the NBA.

The Pelicans defensively are ranked 8th in basketball in PPG given up with 110.3. They are able to force 14.1 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 46.0% from the floor (5th in basketball). The New Orleans defense allows 34.6% from downtown (994 of 2,873) and their opponents are knocking down 78.1% of their foul shots. They give up 26.5 assists and 42.4 boards per contest, ranking them 13th and 8th in the league.

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

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

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here