How To Watch Pelicans At Suns Game 1 On Sunday
Coming off two straight wins in the Play-In Tournament, the New Orleans Pelicans will quickly turn their attention to trying to stop the league’s best team this season in the Phoenix Suns.
Recording 64 wins this season, the Suns recorded a franchise-record for wins in a single season and very few teams have been able to stop them on either end of the court.
Not only is Phoenix a Top-5 defensive team this year, but they are also a Top-5 offensive team and seem to be playing with a lot of motivation to get back to the NBA Finals, where they fell in six games to the Milwaukee Bucks last year.
Devin Booker and Chris Paul are arguably the best backcourt duo in the league and with several other key factors in Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Cameron Johnson and Cameron Payne, the Suns have everything they need to once again win the Western Conference and possibly win their first title in team history.
As for the New Orleans Pelicans, they come into this series with momentum from the Play-In Tournament and their two stars in CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram have been playing great.
Not to mention, Jonas Valanciunas is still one of the best double-double machines in the league and rookie Herb Jones has stepped up to play like an All-Defensive type of talent.
First-year head coach Willie Green really got the Pelicans to regroup during the second-half of the season and now, he will get to go up against his former team in the first-round of the playoffs.
Can the Pelicans shock the NBA world and pull off a first-round upset over the team that is projected to win the NBA Finals this year?
Here's how to watch Sunday’s game, with gametimes and TV, lineups, bios and other must-know details.
How to watch Pelicans vs. Suns
- WHO: New Orleans Pelicans (36-46) vs. Miami Heat (64-18)
- WHAT: First Round Western Conference Playoffs - Game 1
- WHEN: 9:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, April 17
- WHERE: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
- TV: TNT
- Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
Key Stats & Facts For Pelicans vs. Suns
- The Pelicans and Suns faced off four times during the regular season with Phoenix winning three games by an average of 13.7 points.
- The Suns finished the regular season ranking 5th in points per game (114.8) and 8th in points allowed per game (107.3). New Orleans ranked 21st in points per game (109.3) and 13th in points allowed per game (110.3)
- Phoenix is 32-9 at home this season and New Orleans is 18-24 on the road, including their win over the Los Angeles Clippers in the play-in tournament.
- Brandon Ingram has been fantastic offensively as of late for the Pelicans, scoring a combined 57 points in the team’s two Play-In Games.
Last Matchup:
March 15, 2022 - Suns 131, Pelicans 115
In their final meeting of the regular season, the Suns defeated the Pelicans 131-115 in New Orleans. Devin Booker was the game’s leading scorer with 27 points, as Phoenix shot 18-34 (52.9%) from three-point range, making six more three-pointers than the Pelicans. Without Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum and Herbert Jones combined for 43 points for New Orleans.
Pelicans-Suns Most Recent Games:
- Pelicans last game: On Friday, the New Orleans Pelicans took on the Los Angeles Clippers in the battle for the 8-seed in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament and came away with a 105-101 victory after trailing by as many as 13 points. The Pelicans outscored the Clippers 31-17 in the fourth quarter and Brandon Ingram led the way with 30 total points.
- Suns last game: In their final regular season game, the Suns went on the road and lost the Sacramento Kings 116-109. Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, Jae Crowder and Cam Payne all sat out for the Suns.
Latest Injury News:
Pelicans: Zion Williamson (foot) - OUT, Kira Lewis Jr. (knee) - OUT
Suns: Dario Saric (knee) - OUT, Landry Shamet (foot) - QUESTIONABLE
Projected Starters:
PROJECTED PELICANS STARTERS:
- G CJ McCollum, 6-3 guard: 22.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists
- F Herbert Jones, 6-8 forward: 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds
- F Brandon Ingram, 6-8 forward: 22.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists
- F/C Jaxson Hayes, 6-11 forward/center: 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds
- C Jonas Valanciunas, 6-11 center: 17.8 points, 11.4 rebounds
PROJECTED SUNS STARTERS:
- G Chris Paul, 6-0 guard: 14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 10.8 assists
- G Devin Booker, 6-5 guard: 26.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists
- F Mikal Bridges, 6-6 forward: 14.2 points, 4.2 rebounds
- F Jae Crowder, 6-6 forward: 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds
- C Deandre Ayton, 6-11 center: 17.2 points, 10.2 rebounds
Betting Odds:
- The Suns are currently 10.5-point favorites over the Pelicans as of Sunday morning.
- The over/under for this matchup is currently set at 225 total points.
What to watch for:
- The Phoenix Suns have made the playoffs for the second straight season and they recently made the NBA Finals in 2021.
- The Suns had six different players average at least 10.0 points per game during the regular season.
- Phoenix is 49-6 this season when they score at least 110 points, New Orleans is 28-14 when scoring at least 110 points.
- The Pelicans and Suns have never met before this season in the NBA Playoffs.
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