Suns

The Phoenix Suns have a new issue on their hands in the playoffs, and will need to patch it up soon to avoid a first round exit.

During the regular season, the Suns ranked second in the latter half from a scoring perspective. They will not turn away, and their performance in the second half illustrates their ability to make adjustments at the half that Monty needs to counter. In the series now, the boys from the bayou have outscored Phoenix 134-110 in the second half.

The New Orleans Pelicans have a chance to take the series lead tonight at home against the Phoenix Suns, who will be missing Devin Booker.

Jose Alvarado should get extended run as the Pelicans try to slow down Chris Paul, so he and Larry Nance Jr. are probably your best low-cost plays. With Booker out, Ingram should have an easier defensive assignment, especially when Jose Alvarado is in the game, as he will allow Herbert Jones to slide over on Mikal Bridges, leaving Ingram wit Jae Crowder. The over/under is a combined 216 points and for the first time this series, I am taking the over. The money lines are set at +105 for New Orleans and -125 for the Suns. Two points are not enough to worry about, so I like the Pels’ money line in this one to get the better odds. The Pelicans have a tall task with or without Booker in the game and will have to continue to get contributions from their role players to win at home against the Suns. According to WynnBET, the Pelicans are two point underdogs at home tonight against the Suns. The Suns were double-digit favorites in the first two games, so the books are clearly reacting to the Pels’ win, as well as Booker’s injury.

The Game-3 odds and betting for the Phoenix Suns vs. No. 3 New Orleans Pelicans Western Conference playoff game at Smoothie King Center.

Valanciunas averaged close to 12 boards per game for the season and close to 15 per game against the Suns in four regular season meetings. Paul scored 30 in Game 1, nearly hitting this bet without accounting for any of his 10 assists. His regular-season average was 22.7 PPG and in he averaged 22 PPG against Phoenix in the regular season. C.J. McCollum is the other primary ball handler for the Pelicans, though he has no monopoly on the playmaking—Ingram tied McCollum’s team-high nine assists in the last game and he averaged 5.6 assists per game in the regular season, the second-most on the team. Ingram is averaging 6.5 assists per game in the series and went over 3.5 dimes in both games, and he averaged six assists per game in the four regular-season games. - Jonas Valanciunas: 16.5 PTS - O/U -125, -120 - Jonas Valanciunas: 16.5 PTS - O/U -125, -120 - Chris Paul: 1.5 STLS - O/U -141, -105 - Chris Paul: 20.5 PTS - O/U -120, -120 - Deandre Ayton: 19.5 PTS - O/U -125, -118 - CJ McCollum: 24.5 PTS - O/U -133,-110 - Brandon Ingram: 24.5 PTS - O/U -120, -120

The New Orleans Pelicans stole Game 2 in Phoenix, which means they now possess home-court advantage against the NBA's top-seeded Suns. Devin Booker left in ...

FOUR STRAIGHT!— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) pic.twitter.com/99N6SC5i4H April 23, 2022 One CP bucket at a time.— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) pic.twitter.com/IPig4cJA6N April 23, 2022 I REPEAT— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) https://t.co/JyUiN90Bbs April 23, 2022 SUNS WIN!— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) pic.twitter.com/f6L7CZ5wwr April 23, 2022 BOSSMANN NINE-NINE'S CORNER.!!— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) pic.twitter.com/ia5orxskkJ April 23, 2022 CORNER THREE? AREA NINE-NINE.!!— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) April 23, 2022 The Phoenix Suns entered Game 3 of their best-of-seven series against the New Orleans Pelicans shorthanded following the injury to Devin Booker but that did not stop them from stealing back homecourt advantage on Friday night at the Smoothie King Center in a 114-111 win. POINT GOD. SO CLUTCH.— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) pic.twitter.com/W9qKE9dIvv April 23, 2022 Given the fact Booker will not take the floor again in this series for Phoenix, it will be interesting to see whether or not New Orleans can bounce back in Game 4. A playoff bounce back.— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) pic.twitter.com/bX4oQ58kJK April 23, 2022 Battled.— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) @HancockWhitney pic.twitter.com/FLd2Q9iXDk April 23, 2022 Postgame recap ⬇️— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) https://t.co/xvlbTmC01N April 23, 2022

The New Orleans Pelicans and the Phoenix Suns will play Game 3 of their first-round playoff series in the Western Conference on Friday. Here's how to watch, ...

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. Brandon Ingram scored a game-high 37 points and the Pelicans outscored the Suns 69-53 in the second-half. - The Pelicans and Suns have never met before this season in the NBA Playoffs before this season. 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. - How To Watch Heat at Hawks Game 3 On Friday: The Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat will play Game 3 of their first-round playoff series in the Eastern Conference on Friday.CLICK HERE. - The Phoenix Suns have made the playoffs for the second straight season and they recently made the NBA Finals in 2021. - 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 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) - 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%). - 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. - New Orleans went 17-30 (56.7%) and Phoenix went 13-35 (37.1%) from three-point range in Game 2. - New Orleans is 20-22 at home this season, including the Play-In Tournament, and Phoenix is 32-9 on the road.

When the 2022 NBA playoffs began, the odds suggested we were headed for a Finals rematch. The Phoenix Suns were heavily favored in the Western Conference, ...

For now, the answer is probably the Bucks. They're playing against a slightly more dangerous opponent in a slightly more dangerous conference with a slightly less malleable roster. The Bucks have one elite perimeter stopper in Holiday. The Bulls have two elite perimeter scorers in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. The Bucks have tinkered with Antetokounmpo on DeRozan, but that sacrifices the structural integrity of their defensive scheme as a whole. Neither would be particularly easy matchups, but they aren't as fearsome as Boston or Brooklyn. The Suns could conceivably survive long enough to get Booker back in that scenario. In that sense, the Bucks have more work to do when it comes to figuring out their specific opponent. In fact, since CJ McCollum got to New Orleans, there hasn't even been a pronounced difference between them in the late-game situations in which the Bulls have thrived. Coming up next for the Suns will either be a Dallas Mavericks team that doesn't currently have a healthy Luka Doncic, or the Utah Jazz group that is struggling to take advantage of Doncic's absence. The Bulls are 39-34 and the Pelicans, including the play-in round, are 38-36. Chris Paul gave us a glimpse of what he's still capable of in the fourth quarter of Game 1, when he quickly scored 13 points to put the game away in a matter of minutes. The Bucks intentionally ducked the Nets this time around. Now, the Suns need him to play that way for greater portions of the game. He was Milwaukee's crunch-time offense last postseason, scoring nearly 41 percent of their clutch points and setting up many more through his pick-and-roll game with Antetokounmpo. With Middleton out, Giannis is going to have to shift into more of a full-time ball-handler late in games. The Phoenix Suns were heavily favored in the Western Conference, and while there was quite a bit of congestion in the East, the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks were favored by most books as well.

The Suns confirmed that Devin Booker did not do anything in practice on Thursday with the 25-year-old dealing with a hamstring injury.

The Suns battle the Pelicans in New Orleans on Friday in a pivotal Game 3 matchup. “The team also confirmed on Thursday, he did not do antyhing on the court in practice. “The team travelled on Wednesday so he didn’t do anything,” LaForce said.

Once the ball tipped, it was an impressive performance by the Suns' bigs as Deandre Ayton dropped a playoff career high of 28 points with 17 rebounds. JaVale ...

Paul hit an impressive runner to pad the lead after a CJ McCollum layup, and following a missed three-pointer by Nance, Mikal Bridges extended the lead to 106-97 from the line with 49 seconds in the game. He scored eight consecutive Suns’ points as the Point God took advantage of mismatches and put himself in a spot that put pressure on the defense. Phoenix was 47-0 in the regular season when entering the fourth with a lead during the regular season. Paul, who entered the final period with 9 points and 12 assists, orchestrated the offense like a conductor at the symphony. He was a -6 in the first. The fourth quarter opened as a back-and-forth affair, with the teams trading the lead between each other. Gonna come down to a couple open 3s for the Suns, I think. His previous career playoff-high in points of 24 was surpassed early on in the third quarter. The bench for Phoenix has been challenged in this series as the Pelicans have been running out small-ball reserves with Larry Nance, Jr. at the five. The bench for Phoenix has been challenged in this series as the Pelicans have been running out small-ball reserves with Larry Nance, Jr. at the five. New Orleans shot 64.7% from the field as the BI/CJ combo scored 19 points in the quarter. DA was attacking the paint and scoring with ease over Jonas Valanciunas, using all of his tricks to get the ball into the hoop.

The New Orleans Pelicans battled but fell short in a 114-111 Game 3 loss to Chris Paul's Phoenix Suns.

He grabbed the first rebound and scored the first points for the team but he was not able to help out in the second half. The second quarter was especially rough for New Orleans. They led by one after 12 minutes, but then Jaxson Hayes was ejected, the game turned chippy, and the Pelicans started making mistakes that let Phoenix stretch out an 11-point lead with a 16-5 run going into halftime. Hayes had four points when he was ejected from the contest. Willie Green wanted the Pelicans to come out playing with energy and passion. A sold-out Smoothie King Center crowd watched the New Orleans Pelicans battle back to fall short against the Phoenix Suns in Game 3 of their NBA Playoffs series. Our habits, our routine, our preparation is what allows us to go in games, no matter how big it is, and just focus on the task at hand.”

Despite the absence of leading scorer and All-Star Devin Booker, the Phoenix Suns secured a 114-111 road win over the New Orleans on Friday night to take a ...

It will also be interesting to monitor how Hayes and Crowder interact for the rest of the series. After review, Hayes was assessed a flagrant 2 and ejected from the game. Alvarado and Nance were both great for the Pelicans, but the Pelicans simply needed to find a way to get their two best scorers and playmakers opportunities down the stretch. Ingram was phenomenal on Friday, particularly in the third quarter, but there was a stretch toward the end of the game when he was noticeably absent. Ayton wasn't the only Suns center to do damage, either. Phoenix outscored the Pelicans 64-40 in the paint and, excluding Paul, attempted just four shots from the mid-range all game long, making three of them. With Booker out of the lineup, Paul knew he had to go to work as a scorer down the stretch, and he executed brilliantly. Paul set these up by passing the ball to teammates (mostly Ayton) for most of the game. Shoot the ball,' " Paul said after the game. Through three quarters, Paul had nine points and had largely looked to set up his teammates while staying within the offense. The Pelicans were led by 34 points and seven rebounds from Brandon Ingram, while his running mate CJ McCollum added 30 points and seven assists. Suns guard and future Hall of Famer Chris Paul was simply phenomenal down the stretch, scoring 19 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to fend off the pesky Pelicans, while dishing out a game-high 14 assists.

With Devin Booker in street clothes, the Suns received superstar performances on demand from Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton. Paul was again the ruthless closer, ...

But by the end of a hardcore hardwood fistfight, a chunk of the crowd lost their minds. The Pelicans forward was ejected for flagrantly pushing Crowder to the ground from behind. During a first-quarter stoppage in play, C.J. McCollum was about to hoist up a practice shot from in front of the Suns bench, a common occurrence for a player looking to find early rhythm. Paul shook off the disrespect, saying there is nothing but love between him and the city. But collectively, they brought a different kind of energy to their first road game of the postseason. The Suns scored 64 points in the paint. Booker pushed him gently in the back, preventing the practice trey. They allowed only one offensive rebound in the second half. It thundered from Landry Shamet, who played nearly 30 minutes and threw down a pair of outrageous dunks. The Suns are still missing contributions from certain key members. The Suns are not ordinary tourists. He dominated a former nemesis, Jonas Valanciunas. His 28 points and 17 rebounds were reminiscent of what peak Amar’e Stoudemire once brought to postseason games in Phoenix.

Chris Paul took control again in the fourth quarter, scoring 19 of his 28 points to lead the Devin Booker-less Phoenix Suns past the New Orleans Pelicans in ...

"That's a huge win for us, but I told our guys, we can't get happy on the farm," Williams said. Phoenix guard Devin Booker missed the game with a right hamstring strain, and the Suns started Cameron Johnson in his place. Phoenix needed all of Paul's big shots in the fourth quarter as the Pelicans made a run. "I started hearing different terminology on the floor," Ayton said, "and I'm telling C like, 'They're back to normal coverage, I'm gonna need you to shoot the ball. "I'm impressed every time I see it," McGee said of Paul. "He does the same thing. Paul did just that, going 7-of-10 in the final frame, including 5-of-5 on his mid-range shots.

The New Orleans Pelicans have been a different team with both Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum in the lineup, and have an advantage vs. the Suns.

However, they are 8-7 without their leading scorer Devin Booker this year, and the Pels are 10-6 when Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum are on the floor together. Nevertheless, the Pelicans have to stay focused and play as if Booker is available. The Suns deserve our respect for what they’ve done in the last two years.

The Phoenix Suns took a 2-1 series lead against the New Orleans Pelicans thanks to a masterful performance by point guard Chris Paul.

Now, Monty Williams and Willie Green face off in the playoffs. Now, Monty Williams and Willie Green face off in the playoffs. The series continues with Game 4 in New Orleans on Sunday.

Well, the Suns are now up 2-1 in their series with New Orleans but the Pelicans didn't make it easy in the Big Easy. With Devin Booker possibly out for the ...

I don’t think that idea is a good one to start games with but could work for short stretches depending on who is on the court for New Orleans. And this might be the occasion to try. We need him to run the offense and be and efficient scorer. It would be great if they could all just turn it back on but if just one or two of them could step up their games it would be a big help in getting past New Orleans. That would entail more minutes per game for some of them but shouldn’t be too much of a problem in the short term. At worst, it is possible that they don’t make it out of the first round. I still believe the Suns will defeat the Pelicans but the margin for error is certainly smaller with Booker out. Game 1 seemed like they came out super focused in the first half and then cruised to a victory. Not to mention the next opponent. If we look fine in that game I do not think we’d have trouble in the first two series, which should be enough time for Book to make it back into the lineup. I still think they will win this series, though it will take more than the 5 games I predicted. However I think our veteran leadership and depth can pull through and get us to the next round.

The Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans face off on Sunday in New Orleans in Game 4 of their NBA Playoffs series.

Pelicans vs. - Hawks vs. Nets vs. Timberwolves vs. Nuggets vs. Pelicans vs. Raptors vs. - Hawks vs. Jazz vs. Raptors vs. Bulls vs. Nets vs.

With the game on the line it was all Chris Paul, who scored 19 in the final frame and led the Suns to a road win over the Pelicans.

Still there were impressive stretches — like when Jose Alvarado scored seven straight in the fourth quarter — and this is a Pelicans team that could win Game 4 at home Sunday and even the series. Ingram still had a big night with 34 points on 11-of-19 shooting, and McCollum added 30. Through one-and-a-half games, Devin Booker had been the best player in this 1 vs.

Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton both put up stellar games, scoring 28 points each, with DA grabbing 17 rebounds and CP3 handing out 14 assists. It was an important ...

After a dominating performance by DA, expect New Orleans to swarm the interior and force the ball out of his hands. Maybe Ish isn’t the answer and Monty will extend the minutes of Cameron Johnson or add Bismack Biyombo to the fray. And this can’t be the case throughout the postseason. His 6’6”, 250 pound frame may be beneficial in moving the Pelicans off of their spots and snagging a few boards. This season, Ish was a feel-good story for Phoenix. Prior to the start of the season, the former Baylor Bears tight end signed a two-way deal with the Suns, allowing him to carry out his dream of playing in the NBA by picking up garbage time minutes. Ish Wainright not only fulfilled all of the abovementioned exploits, but he also obtained a contract that allowed him to join the Suns’ postseason squad. The zero on his jersey corresponds to the number of points he’s scored for the Suns in 29 minutes of action thus far in the series against the Pelicans. That’s all right. Wainright ended the regular season having played in 45 games for the Suns, averaging 2.5 points on 32.2% from deep and 1.2 rebounds. A long wing defender who can hit a three-pointer now and again, but who is mostly focused on defensive performance and can add rebounding from the second team unit. He battled, clawed, and willed his team to a 2-1 series lead over the Pelicans. In the first round of the playoffs, there hasn’t been much consistency. It was an important win for the squad as they look to extend their postseason run and win without their leading scorer, Devin Booker.

The Phoenix Suns grabbed a Game 3 victory on the road in New Orleans Friday night, breaking the 1-1 series deadlock with the Pelicans.

He has 38 assists and two turnovers in the first three games of the series. Paul recorded his second 15-point fourth quarter in the last three games, the same as the rest of the NBA this postseason, according to NBA on ESPN. Paul finished with 19 points in the final quarter, his second 19-point fourth quarter of the series after doing it in Game 1’s victory as well.