Preview: Suns Face Pelicans in Major Road Test

The Phoenix Suns (22-18) are looking to ride the momentum of a three-game win streak tonight when they face the New Orleans Pelicans (25-17) at the Smoothie King Center.

This is shockingly the first time the teams have played since December 2022 following a calendar year that included a tense six-game playoff series and a game where the Suns overcame a double-digit deficit to beat New Orleans.

Pelicans head coach Willie Green looks to finally be putting things together in his third season as head coach of the Pelicans after being Monty Williams' lead assistant on the Suns' 2021 NBA Finals squad.

Three things to watch tonight:

Pelicans... Contenders?

The Pelicans are finally in a position of strength following years of underachieving in the regular season.

The key to the 25-17 record is quite possibly correlated to the improved health bills surrounding stars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

The latter of the stars has appeared in 38 games, while the former has appeared in 34.

The two most integral pieces to the Pelicans' present and future had previously been known to be oft-injured, but the improved health bills this season have been a welcome development in New Orleans.

The Pelicans have long been seen as a "sleeping giant" - and now the rest of the NBA can see how talented and cohesive the roster as a whole can be when lead by the catalysts.

Goodwin Minutes Tonight?

Jordan Goodwin has been inactive the last six games after playing the first 34. This is presumably due to his struggles on the offensive end after a start to the season that saw more positives than negatives.

Goodwin's presence in tonight's game could be a welcome development- as New Orleans has the notorious disruptor coming off the bench in Jose Alvarado.

Alvarado had caused the Suns problems in a litany of ways in 2022 and he is a naturally-born irritant.

While Goodwin may not be as obtuse with the irritating brand of play, he can certainly do his best impression of what Alvarado does: Suns fans have seen the tenacity he plays with even when his shot isn't falling.

Goodwin seeing the floor is far from a guarantee, but it could be a wise tactical decision to throw him on the floor at times.

Player to Watch: Jordan Hawkins

Hawkins is one of many players coming off of the bench for New Orleans that has been productive and made a case to be in a potential playoff rotation.

The rookie from UCONN - and a member of the 2023 NCAA national championship team - has already shown that the Pelicans taking a chance on him at the tail end of the lottery was an absolute steal.

While he hasn't exactly carved out a distinguished spot in the rotation or a consistent role, he has shown the ability to put the ball in the hoop- and that adds another layer to what makes New Orleans so dangerous.

Hawkins had a rough December - shooting sub-30% from the floor during the month, but has rebounded nicely in January.

He has averaged 12.9 points this month while shooting 52% from three-point range, all while having his raw numbers skewed due to three games in which he saw sparse minutes.

Hawkins is also coming off of 34 and 21-point performances in the last week - the Suns are sure to be aware and ready to attack the talented guard.

The Suns and Pelicans are set to tip off shortly after 6 PM Arizona time.