Phoenix Suns – New Orleans Pelicans: tempo clash in Arizona
This Friday night the Suns host the Pelicans in a game far tighter than the standings suggest. Both teams share one thing: they’re coming off games last night and are on a back-to-back. The big question is who forces their pace. Phoenix Suns loves to slow everything down; New Orleans wants to run flat out. Add tired legs and this could blow up in the best way.
Phoenix Suns: erase last night’s sting 
For the Suns (35-26) last night left a sour taste. They lost on the buzzer to Chicago (103-105) in a maddening finish. Just 2 wins in their last 5, so Arizona needs to snap out of it — and playing back at home straight away is the perfect chance to hit reset.
On paper Phoenix plays tight, locked-up basketball. They’re one of the slowest teams in the league (25th in Pace) and average about 112 points a night. But when they click they can be brutal — see recent wins over Dallas (120-111) and Sacramento (114-103). Defensively they stick like glue: they force roughly 10 turnovers per game. Question is whether Devin Booker and co. have the legs to control a false slow tempo against a team that wants to sprint.
New Orleans Pelicans: run to survive 
This season in Louisiana’s been a slog. A meagre 19-44 and only 8 road wins means not much to play for. And yet they’ve shown real fight lately. They smacked Sacramento in a shootout (133-123) and beat Utah twice (115-105, 129-118). The injury list has eased, so the team can go back to what it is: run, shoot, and pile up possessions to hide half-court flaws.
Powered by Zion Williamson’s freakish strength and an interior group that’s cleaning up (shout-out to young centre Quinn, who’s showing flashes on offence), NOLA will come to rattle Phoenix. They’re great on offensive boards (8th in the league) and play with nasty defensive energy (around 9 steals and 5 blocks a game). The big issue? They give up more than 120 points most nights. Defense on the perimeter is basically open door.
NBA pick Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans
Over 220 points
Even though Phoenix Suns likes to kill the clock, they’ve shown in recent matchups with NOLA they can speed up when needed. Both teams played yesterday, so defensive sharpness will dip. And the Pelicans regularly concede north of 120 points. Oddsmakers are a tad blind to the offensive potential here because of Phoenix’s usual pace. The Over jumps out — at 222.5 it’s a tasty angle.
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