Pelicans vs. Suns NBA expert prediction and odds for Sunday, April 7 (Bet on Phoenix)
Betting odds, pick and prediction for the Phoenix Suns-New Orleans Pelicans matchup on Sunday.
By Peter Dewey
The Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans play a huge game for Western Conference play-in tournament seeding on Sunday, as the Suns (the current No. 6 seed) are looking to extend their lead on the No. 7-seeded Pelicans.
New Orleans has dropped four straight games (including one to Phoenix) to fall into the No. 7 spot. With Brandon Ingram out, the Pels are facing an uphill battle on the road on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Suns have won three games in a row and they already hold the tiebreaker over the Pels this season. A win in this game would put Phoenix two games up with three to play, essentially locking up a top-six spot.
Can Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and company cash in on a golden opportunity?
If you’re looking to bet on any game in the NBA tonight, FanDuel Sportsbook has an amazing promotional offer. New users who sign up with the link below and wager $5 will receive $200 in bonus bets -- if their bet wins.
Sign up for FanDuel now!
Here’s a look at the latest odds and my best bet for this crucial Western Conference matchup:
Pelicans vs. Suns odds, spread and total
Pelicans vs. Suns how to watch
- Date: Sunday, April 7
- Time: 6:00 p.m. EST
- Venue: Footprint Center
- How to watch (TV): Bally Sports
- Pelicans record: 45-32
- Suns record: 46-31
Pelicans vs. Suns injury reports
Pelicans injury report
- Jose Alvarado – questionable
- Brandon Ingram – out
- Zion Williamson – questionable
- Naji Marshall – questionable
- Cody Zeller – available
Suns injury report
- Damion Lee – out
Pelicans vs. Suns key players to watch
New Orleans Pelicans
CJ McCollum: With Ingram out and Williamson questionable. CJ McCollum may be called upon to be the No. 1 option tonight. In his last game against Phoenix, McCollum scored 15 points on 6-for-17 shooting from the field. However, he’s rebounded nicely since, putting up 36 and 31 points in his last two games.
Phoenix Suns
Devin Booker: Devin Booker put on a show the last time these teams met, scoring 52 points on 19-of-28 shooting. He followed that up with a 40-point game and is now averaging 27.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game on the season. New Orleans has to keep him in check to have a chance tonight.
Pelicans vs. Suns prediction and pick
New Orleans has struggled without Ingram, going 7-7 without the star forward on the season and 1-5 in its last six games since he went down in late March.
These teams have already played twice with Phoenix coming away with multiple double-digit wins.
With Zion Williamson also listed as questionable in this game, I have a hard time taking New Orleans even to cover in this one.
The Suns have not been a good team to bet on all season (33-42-2 against the spread), but they are better as home favorites (15-17-1 ATS).
New Orleans does come into this game with the best ATS record as a road dog – 11-15-1 – in the NBA, but given the current state of the team, I’m taking the Suns. Over the last 10 games, Phoenix is 11th in the NBA in net rating while New Orleans is just 19th.
Pick: Suns -6 (-110)
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.