Suns vs Pelicans Odds, Lines & Predictions (Dec. 11)
- New Orleans is a 3-point home favorite in the Suns vs Pelicans odds on Sunday night
- Devin Booker is questionable with a hamstring injury
- Check out the latest Suns vs Pelicans odds below, plus injury updates and a bet to target
Put up your hand if you predicted the Pelicans (17-8, 11-3 home) would have a better record than the Suns (16-10, 4-7 away) on December 11th. I’m going to assume there aren’t too many hands in the air, so read on for a Suns vs Pelicans analysis.
Phoenix entered the season as one of the leaders in the NBA Championship odds, after finishing the 2021-22 campaign with a league-high 64 wins. They’re off to a fine start so far, but New Orleans has taken the NBA by storm.
The Pelicans sit atop the Western Conference and are in the midst of a six-game winning streak. They just beat the Suns on Friday night, and online sportsbooks are expecting a repeat performance on Sunday when they clash again.
Suns vs Pelicans Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix Suns | +3 (-110) | +115 | OFF |
| New Orleans Pelicans | -3 (-110) | -135 | OFF |
Odds as of December 10 at FanDuel. Claim the FanDuel Sportsbook promo code to bet on the Suns vs Pelicans game.
New Orleans is currently a 3-point favorite, in a contest without a total as of Saturday night. One of the reasons an over/under is not posted in the NBA odds is due to the questionable status of Phoenix star Devin Booker – which we’ll discuss.
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Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 pm ET at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, a building where the Pelicans are 11-3 this season.
Suns vs Pelicans Betting Analysis
Back to Booker now. The stud guard had been on a tear over the final few days of November and the first two days of December averaging over 45 points during a three-game stretch. However, he hasn’t broken 20 points in any of the past four outings, averaging just 14 points during Phoenix’s current three-game losing streak.
Booker wasn’t on the floor in the closing minutes of the Suns’ 128-117 loss to the Pelicans on Friday, and a day later it was revealed he’s dealing with a hamstring injury. He’s currently considered day-to-day at this point and is officially questionable to play on Sunday.
Devin Booker is listed as questionable for tomorrow's Suns game against the Pelicans due to left hamstring tightness.
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) December 10, 2022
The odds for this game suggest a different story. Phoenix was a 1.5-point favorite on Friday night, and now they’re catching 3 points. Both games were in New Orleans which indicates a big piece of the Suns’ roster is likely to sit. No other starter is listed with an injury, which leaves only Booker.
It’s no surprise that as Booker struggles so do the Suns. He leads the team with 27.4 points per game, 10 more than anyone else. Phoenix did get some good news on the injury front earlier this week as Chris Paul made his return after a lengthy absence. Paul struggled in his first game back on Wednesday versus the Celtics but bounced back versus the Pelicans with a 24-point, 7-assist, 8-rebound performance.
The Suns enter play ranked second in offensive rating and 10th in defensive rating. They’re one of only three Western Conference teams to be ranked T10 in both, along with the Grizzlies and New Orleans.
The Pelicans shot 51% from the field in their win Friday over Phoenix, led by Zion Williamson’s 35 points. Williamson punctuated the victory with a 360 slam in the dying seconds which caused a heated exchange between both benches.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN… ZION WILLIAMSON. pic.twitter.com/MhjV7Zpl0R
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 10, 2022
Cooler heads ultimately prevailed as New Orleans won for the 11th time in its last 13 outings. CJ McCollum added 18 points and 7 boards, while Jose Alvarado splashed 20 points off the bench. The Pelicans’ impressive run includes victories over the Nuggets, Warriors, Raptors, and Grizzlies.
What’s even more impressive, is that they’re winning without Brandon Ingram. The team’s second-leading scorer has missed all six of the games during their winning streak with a toe injury and will sit out Sunday as well.
New Orleans currently boasts the sixth-highest offensive rating and third-best defensive mark. That’s quite a change from a season ago when they were very vulnerable in their own end.
Suns vs Pelicans Prediction
The Pelicans were 18th a season ago in defensive rating allowing 112 points per 100 possession. A year later, that number is down to 108 points per possession. They’ve held opponents to an average of 104 points per game during their winning streak and currently rank seventh in scoring defense.
If Booker doesn’t play, and the odds suggest he won’t, Phoenix is going to have an extremely difficult time scoring. Booker hasn’t missed a game yet this season, but last season the Suns averaged seven fewer points per game when he sat.
Pick: New Orleans Pelicans -3 (-110)
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As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
