How To Watch Suns at Pelicans Game 3 On Friday
After narrowly completing a Game 1 comeback against the Phoenix Suns, the New Orleans Pelicans controlled Game 2 from start-to-finish to even this first-round series up at one game apiece.
From the opening tip of Game 2, the Pelicans had a certain swagger and confidence to their game, even though they were going up against the team with the best record in the entire NBA on their home court!
Brandon Ingram was spectacular once again for New Orleans, scoring a game-high 37 points on 13-21 shooting and he also had 11 rebounds and 9 assists, almost putting together what would have been his first playoff triple-double.
The key element of this game that favored the Pelicans though was rebounding.
Jonas Valanciunas, Brandon Ingram and Jaxson Hayes all crashed the glass on both ends of the court, as the Pelicans ended up outrebounding the Suns 43-33 in this game.
Phoenix has a lot of work to do heading into Game 3 on Friday and they have a lot of adjustments to make, one of which could be finding a way to score without Devin Booker on the court.
In the third quarter of Game 2, Booker appeared to injure his right hamstring and after the game, it was revealed that the Suns’ All-Star guard has a mild right hamstring strain that could very well keep him out of both Games 3 and 4 in New Orleans.
Hamstring injuries are really tough to come back from quickly and should the Suns be without Devin Booker, this series suddenly becomes extremely interesting.
The Phoenix Suns were the favorites to win the NBA Finals entering this postseason, but without Booker, things can change in a hurry in this series against the New Orleans Pelicans!
Could the Pelicans shock the NBA world and go up 2-1 in this series after Friday night?
Here's how to watch Friday’s game, with gametimes and TV, lineups, bios and other must-know details.
How to watch Suns vs. Pelicans
- WHO: Phoenix Suns (1-1) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (0-1)
- WHAT: First Round Western Conference Playoffs - Game 3 (Series Tied 1-1)
- WHEN: 9:30 p.m. ET, Friday, April 22
- WHERE: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
- TV: ESPN
- Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
Key Stats & Facts For Suns vs. Pelicans
- 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)
- New Orleans is 20-22 at home this season, including the Play-In Tournament, and Phoenix is 32-9 on the road.
- Brandon Ingram has been fantastic offensively as of late for the Pelicans, averaging 28.0 points per game over his last four games.
What Happened In Game 2?
April 19, 2022 - Pelicans 125, Suns 114
In Game 2, the Suns outscored the Pelicans 46-44 in the paint, but New Orleans outrebounded them 43-33 and tallied 11 offensive rebounds. Brandon Ingram scored a game-high 37 points and the Pelicans outscored the Suns 69-53 in the second-half. Devin Booker left Game 2 early with a hamstring injury, one that will likely result in him missing both road games in New Orleans coming up.
Key Stats From Game 2:
- New Orleans went 17-30 (56.7%) and Phoenix went 13-35 (37.1%) from three-point range in Game 2.
- The Suns turned the ball over 13 times, resulting in 12 points for the Pelicans. New Orleans turned the ball over 17 times that resulted in 28 points for Phoenix.
- The Pelicans recorded 32 assists on a total of 46 made shots (69.6%), whereas the Suns recorded 26 assists on 43 made shots (60.5%).
Latest Injury News:
Pelicans: Zion Williamson (foot) - OUT, Kira Lewis Jr. (knee) - OUT
Suns: Dario Saric (knee) - OUT, Devin Booker (hamstring) - OUT
Projected Starters:
PROJECTED SUNS STARTERS:
- G Chris Paul, 6-0 guard: 14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 10.8 assists
- G Landry Shamet, 6-4 guard: 8.3 points, 1.8 rebounds
- 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
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
Betting Odds:
- The Suns are currently 1.5-point favorites over the Pelicans as of Friday morning.
- The over/under for this matchup is currently set at 216.5 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 50-7 this season when they score at least 110 points, New Orleans is 30-14 when scoring at least 110 points, including the NBA Play-In Tournament and Playoffs.
- The Pelicans and Suns have never met before this season in the NBA Playoffs before this season.
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