After losing to the Utah Jazz on Monday, the New Orleans Pelicans have to quickly turn around and face the Phoenix Suns at the Smoothie King Center on Tuesday. This will be yet another opportunity for former Suns assistant Willie Green to earn a victory over his former team.
Will New Orleans find a way to hang around and potentially beat Phoenix? Keep reading our Suns vs. Pelicans picks and predictions for the answer.
Suns vs Pelicans odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
The Suns were laying 8 at the open of this game and they’re now laying either 7.5 or 8 in most places — despite two books having them as 8.5-point favorites. Meanwhile, the total opened at 218.5 and is now up as high as 223.5 in one spot.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Suns vs Pelicans predictions
Predictions made on 01/04/2022 at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Suns vs Pelicans game info
• Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
• Date: Tuesday, January 4, 2022
• Tip-off: 8:00 p.m. ET
• TV: BSNO, BSAZ
Suns vs Pelicans betting preview
Injuries
Suns: Jae Crowder F (Out), JaVale McGee C (Out), Abdel Nader F (Out), Deandre Ayton C (Out), Frank Kaminsky C (Out), Dario Saric F (Out).
Pelicans: Zion Williamson F (Out), Kira Lewis Jr. G (Out), Tomas Satoransky G (Questionable).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 6-1 in the Suns’ last seven games versus teams with losing records. Find more NBA betting trends for Suns vs. Pelicans.
Suns vs Pelicans picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
The Suns are coming off of a very impressive victory over the Hornets, as they won by 34 points as 1.5-point road favorites. The win followed up a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics, so there were questions about Phoenix heading into that one. And while the Suns should be able to win this game outright, you should be prepared for the Pelicans to keep this one rather close.
New Orleans has lost two games in a row coming into this matchup, but the team had been playing some good basketball in the second half of December and Phoenix is still banged up right now. The Suns still have Chris Paul and Devin Booker to make plays in the backcourt, but the Pelicans are mostly weakest defensively in the frontcourt with Williamson out and won’t have to deal with Ayton or McGee in this game. That’s a big advantage for the Pelicans, as Jonas Valanciunas can feast on the other side of the floor.
Brandon Ingram should also be able to make a big mark on this game on the offensive end for the Pelicans, and Herb Jones could also do the same. The rookie has been a revelation for New Orleans this season, as he has been immediately contributing as a scorer. That’s a huge plus for the Pelicans, who knew that Jones could be an elite defender but didn’t exactly know what they were getting on offense.
It wouldn’t be that surprising if the Pelicans turn to Jones on Booker in this game. He has the length to give him some trouble. And if Booker isn’t completely on his game, Phoenix will have a tough time earning a road blowout.
Prediction: Pelicans +8.5 (-114)
Over/Under analysis
With Ayton out in this game, the Suns are giving up a lot on the defensive end. Jalen Smith has filled in admirably for Phoenix recently, but he is not the same presence on that side of the floor — and McGee is also a big loss in that regard. With that in mind, this Suns team could end up winning this game with its offense, which is exactly what they did when they scored 133 points against the Hornets. The Over is actually 3-2 in Phoenix’s last five games, and it’s 5-2-1 in New Orleans’ last seven.
The Pelicans just played a game that went Under the total against the Jazz, but this Suns defense isn’t quite as good as the Jazz with guys like Crowder, Ayton and McGee out. New Orleans’ scorers will be pleased with the fact that they won’t have to beat Ayton off switches, as he covers ground as well as any big man in the NBA.
Prediction: Over 221.5 (-114)
Best bet
When looking at this game, the total just seems like the best play available here. With all of the absences in Phoenix’s lineup, the team is going to have no choice but to get up and down the floor and try to score a lot of points. Over the last 10 games, the Suns are playing at the seventh-highest pace in basketball, and the Pelicans are fifth in the league in that category over the last five games. Both of these teams are trying to play fast, which is a good sign for the Over.
Each of the last four meetings between these teams in New Orleans has gone Over the total, and this one should pretty easily go over this number. The Over is 34-22 when the Suns have been favored by 3.5 to 9.5 points over the last two seasons, and it’s also 36-24 when the team is coming off a game in which it gave up 105 or fewer in that span.
Pick: Over 221.5 (-114)
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