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Without Devin Booker yet again, the Phoenix Suns were able to bounce back in a big way on their home court Tuesday night in Game 5, beating the New Orleans Pelicans 112-97.

Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton combined for 41 points in the victory, but the story of Game 5 was the play of Mikal Bridges on both ends of the floor.

The fourth-year forward finished with a playoff career-high 31 points on 4-4 shooting from three-point range and he also had a career-high 4 blocks.

Whenever the Suns needed a big play on either end of the floor, Mikal Bridges was the one to answer the call, as his play helped elevate Phoenix to a 3-2 series lead heading back to New Orleans.

As for the Pelicans, CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram were held in check throughout Tuesday night’s game, scoring a combined 43 points on just 14-41 shooting.

Heading into Thursday night’s Game 6, the Pelicans will not only need their superstar talents to step up offensively, but they will need to collectively hold onto the basketball, as 15 turnovers the other night in Phoenix really caved them in the offensive-end of the floor.

Do the Pelicans still have some life in them and will they be able to force a decisive Game 7 against the Suns?

Here's how to watch Thursday’s game, with gametimes and TV, lineups, bios and other must-know details.

How to watch Suns vs. Pelicans

  • WHO: Phoenix Suns (3-2) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (2-3)
  • WHAT: First Round Western Conference Playoffs - Game 6 (Suns lead 3-2)
  • WHEN: 7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, April 28
  • WHERE: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
  • TV: TNT
  • 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 21-23 at home this season, including the Play-In Tournament and playoffs, and Phoenix is 33-10 on the road.
  • Brandon Ingram has been fantastic offensively as of late for the Pelicans, scoring at least 22 points in six of his last seven games.

What Happened In Game 5?

April 26, 2022 - Suns 112, Pelicans 97

Mikal Bridges was the story in the Suns’ 112-97 victory on Tuesday night, but on the opposite side of things, New Orleans did not help themselves one bit in this game. Not only did they miss wide-open shots all night long, but the Pelicans turned the ball over 15 different times, resulting in a ton of fastbreak opportunities for Phoenix. For the game, the Suns had 10 fast break points and they scored 23 total points off of New Orleans’ turnovers.

Key Stats From Game 5:

  • New Orleans went 5-25 (20.0%) and Phoenix went 10-27 (37.0%) from three-point range in Game 4.
  • The Suns turned the ball over 10 times, resulting in 12 points for the Pelicans. New Orleans turned the ball over 15 times that resulted in 23 points for Phoenix.
  • The Pelicans recorded 14 assists on a total of 32 made shots (43.8%), whereas the Suns recorded 28 assists on 43 made shots (65.1%).

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
  • F Cameron Johnson, 6-8 forward: 12.5 points, 4.1 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 2-point favorites over the Pelicans as of Thursday morning, according to Fanduel.com.
  • The over/under for this matchup is currently set at 214 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 52-7 this season when they score at least 110 points, New Orleans is 31-15 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. 
  • Complete 2022 NBA Playoffs Schedule, Results, Gametimes, TV, Point Spreads: The best two months in basketball are here as the NBA postseason has arrived, starting with the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday. Here is the complete schedule, with gametimes, TV information and point spreads. We will update this story daily with results and updated betting lines, so bookmark it and follow along for the next two months of a wide-open postseason. CLICK HERE.
  • How To Watch 76ers At Raptors Game 6 On Thursday: The Toronto Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers will play Game 6 of their first-round playoff series in the Eastern Conference on Thursday in Toronto. CLICK HERE.