The Phoenix Suns look to continue their positive momentum and win their fourth straight game as they head on the road to face the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night. The Suns (22-18), stormed back from a 22-point deficit on Tuesday to defeat the Kings, 119-117, while the Pelicans (25-17) beat the Hornets, 132-112, on Wednesday. The teams haven’t played since December 2022, and they split a four-game series last season. Phoenix is 14-25-1 against the spread, while New Orleans is 24-17-1 ATS in 2023-24.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The Pelicans are favored by 1.5 points in the latest Suns vs. Pelicans odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 237 points. Before entering any Pelicans vs. Suns picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Suns vs. Pelicans. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Pelicans vs. Suns:
Pelicans vs. Suns spread: Pelicans -1.5
Pelicans vs. Suns over/under: 237 points
Pelicans vs. Suns money line: Pelicans -123, Suns +112
Pelicans vs. Suns picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Suns can cover
Phoenix staged a stunning comeback in its last outing, outscoring Sacramento 32-8 in the final eight minutes on Tuesday to win the game by two points. Despite having their three top players, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal starting, the Suns were led in scoring by guard Grayson Allen. With 29 points, including nine 3-pointers, Allen helped spur the furious comeback. He also chipped in with six assists and five rebounds in the win.
Durant scored 27 points, while Booker had 16, and Beal 13 in what was a fairly quiet evening for Phoenix’s superstars. Center Jusuf Nurkic delivered 10 points and 15 rebounds and should once again play a key role on Friday night against the lengthy Pelicans. With the Suns mostly healthy, they will need to continue their run of success to climb in the Western Conference standings after a slow first half of the 2023-24 season. See which team to pick here.
Why the Pelicans can cover
New Orleans built on its five-point halftime lead to comfortably defeat the Hornets on Wednesday night. Brandon Ingram was phenomenal, posting a triple-double for the first time all season with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. He also added three steals as the Pelicans’ defense forced 19 Charlotte turnovers.
Fellow forward Zion Williamson had 13 points and nine rebounds, while guard CJ McCollum scored 22 points with five rebounds and six assists in the victory. Unlike the Suns, whose bench doesn’t contribute much, New Orleans had strong efforts from Trey Murphy III and Jordan Hawkins, who scored 18 and 21 points, respectively. Against a dynamic Phoenix team, New Orleans’ bench will be relied upon to contribute a notable impact on Friday night. See which team to pick here.
How to make Pelicans vs. Suns picks
The model has simulated Pelicans vs. Suns 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.