Here come the Pelicans. New Orleans grabbed consecutive wins for the first time this season with a nerve-wracking victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson starred for the Pelicans who will now embark on a grueling three-game road trip, starting with their showdown with the Suns tonight.
Can New Orleans finally grab its first road win tonight? Or will the Suns exact some revenge and pile more misery on Alvin Gentry’s squad? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Miami vs. Detroit and Cleveland vs. Toronto.
The New Orleans Pelicans extended their winning streak to two games with a thrilling 122-116 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. Anthony Davis led the way for the Pelicans in this contest, scoring 32 points and grabbing 19 rebounds. He has been solid in his return from injury, averaging 31.2 points and 3.0 blocks over the last four games in which he’s played at least 20 minutes.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Key to the Pelicans’ sudden resurgence has been their phenomenal offense. The Pelicans have now scored more than 100 points in each of their last three outings. Apart from Davis, Ryan Anderson has also played an integral role in New Orleans’ renaissance. He is averaging 28.3 points on 55.8 percent shooting over his last four contests. He is 15 for 32 from beyond the arc during that span.
They will look to replicate that performance when they take on the Phoenix Suns in an immediate rematch later tonight. It’s bound to be one heck of a test for New Orleans as it has struggled mightily on the road this season. The Pelicans are winless in their seven road games this campaign. Help is on the way, though, for New Orleans as Tyreke Evans is in line to make his season debut tonight.
The Pelicans have badly missed Evans while adjusting to Gentry’s new offensive system, losing 11 of their first 12 games this season. Evans, who averaged 16.6 points and a career-best 6.6 assists last season, will provide an immediate boost to a New Orleans offense that’s averaging 102.1 points per game this campaign.
The Pelicans are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 road games.
Things are going from bad to worse for the Phoenix Suns as they crashed to their second consecutive defeat with a humbling 98-84 loss to San Antonio Monday night. It was another disappointing performance by the Suns who set a season low for points in this contest. The Suns have now dropped three of their last four games.
The Suns will look to get their season back on track when they face the Pelicans tonight. Head coach Jeff Hornacek will look for a much better showing from his troops compared to the one they dished out against New Orleans four days ago. The Suns struggled with their field goal shooting in that contest, converting just 33.3 percent of their two-point field goal attempts. As a result, they were outscored by the Pelicans, 44-22, inside the paint.
The onus then is on the Phoenix bigs to man up against Anthony Davis and the rest of the New Orleans frontcourt. One guy who’s expected to step up big time tonight is Markieff Morris. He had his best game of the season in the loss to San Antonio, scoring a season-high 28 points on 12-of-15 shooting and also grabbing eight rebounds.
Apart from their play inside the shaded area, the Suns also need to address their alarming turnover rate. The Suns committed 28 turnovers against the Spurs on Monday, second-most in the NBA this year. The Suns’ last three opponents have feasted on their miscues with the Pelicans, Spurs and Nuggets combining for 74 points off their turnovers.
One major concern for the Suns heading into tonight’s ballgame is the availability of Eric Bledsoe. Bledsoe, who leads the team with 23.2 points, 5.8 assists and 2.0 steals per contest, sat out Monday’s game against the Spurs due to a sore left knee and is deemed questionable to play this evening. He scored 29 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists in Phoenix’s last loss to New Orleans.
The Suns are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games.
Writer’s Prediction
New Orleans extends their winning streak to three games with a 105-97 victory.
