Can Phoenix Beat New Orleans in Thursday’s NBA Lines?

Thanks to Oklahoma City’s 119-115 loss at Dallas on Monday and a host of other lucky results (plus injuries) in the Western Conference, both the New Orleans Pelicans (37-30, 5th in Southwest Division) and the Phoenix Suns (35-33, 3rd in Pacific Division) are still alive in the race to the playoffs. With less than 15 games left for both teams, and in the bid to boost their playoff stocks, the Pelicans and the Suns will be facing it off in Arizona this Thursday. Check our NBA lines preview below.

Can Phoenix Beat New Orleans in Thursday’s NBA Lines?

Venue: US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona Date: Thursday, March 19, 2015 Time: 10:00 PM ET TV: FSN/ FSAZ Opening Line: Phoenix -1  

NBA: Phoenix Suns vs. New Orleans Pelicans today 10 am LIVE on ABS-CBN @SportsAndAction ch 23 (replay 8 pm) — ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) March 19, 2015

 

Pelicans vs. Suns NBA Betting Preview and Game Analysis

The Pelicans moved back into the West’s final playoff spot after they held off the Milwaukee Bucks 85-84 on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, the Suns recorded a 102-89 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday, which pushed them to two and a half games within the final playoff spot. Entering this matchup, both teams come with efficient players on both sides of the ball, though the Pelicans enjoy a more-refined line-up. New Orleans’ power forward Anthony Davis leads the team offensively with 24.6 PPG and is coming off a double-double (20 points and 12 boards) performance against the Bucks. The trio of Davis, Eric Gordon and Jrue Holiday has been consistently reliable in the Pelicans’ offense. Still, better output will be required from the Pelicans’ bench, which didn’t contribute any points against Milwaukee until the third quarter. On the opposite end, Eric Bledsoe is the main man for Phoenix, leading the team in points (17.2), assists (6.1) and steals (1.7). Brandon Knight and Alex Len have equally been efficient starters for Phoenix. Unfortunately, both players sat out practice on Tuesday and it is not yet clear whether either of the starters will be available for Thursday’s game. With just seven wins in their last 20 games, and a tough schedule still ahead of them, it will be important that the starters make it back to the team by Thursday, giving the team a strong chance to defeat the Pelicans.

Key Betting Trends

• New Orleans is 7-3 SU an 5-5 ATS in its last 10 games • Phoenix is 5-5 SU and 6-4 ATS in its last 10 games • New Orleans is 3-1 SU and ATS in its last 4 road games • Phoenix is 3-3 SU and ATS in its last 6 home games • Phoenix is 7-3 SU and 5-5 ATS in its last 10 games against New Orleans • The UNDER-OVER is 5-5 in the last 10 games between New Orleans and Phoenix

Writer’s Prediction

Davis leads the Pelicans to a solid showing, beating Phoenix by at least five points, with the total probably going UNDER.