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The Phoenix Suns will continue their road trip when they travel from Charlotte to The Big Easy to face the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Tuesday.
The Suns are coming off a dominant 133-99 win against the Charlotte Hornets. Bouncing back from a tough loss against the Boston Celtics, the Suns are now 28-8 on the season.
The New Orleans Pelicans, meanwhile, are coming off a 104-115 loss against the Utah Jazz on Monday. Having lost consecutive games, the Pelicans will look to return to winning ways at home against the Suns.
The Phoenix Suns enjoyed a victory in the first matchup between the two teams this season. The Suns will look to extend their series lead against the Pelicans to 2-0 when they meet on Tuesday.
Match Details
Fixture - Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans | 2021-22 NBA Season.
Date & Time - Tuesday, January 4th, 2022; 8:00 ET (Wednesday, January 5th, 2022; 6:30 AM IST).
Venue - Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA.
Phoenix Suns Preview
The Phoenix Suns have had a tough start to 2022. In the last few weeks, the Suns have seen a many key players such as Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder sidelined due to the league's health and safety protocols.
Although they received good minutes from JaVale McGee in the starting rotation, McGee getting sidelined has been a huge blow to the Suns' big-man rotation.
With Jalen Smith starting, the Suns have received great minutes from the second year big-man. Unfortunately, the relative inexperience and the lack of big men in the rotation due to Frank Kaminsky and Dario Saric's absence puts a lot of pressure on the Suns, especially in rebounding and defense.
Chris Paul and Devin Booker have been carrying the bulk of the Suns' offensive responsibilities. However, they will need the likes of Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges to come to the fore to rack up more wins.
Key Player - Devin Booker
The Phoenix Suns will look to Devin Booker to step up against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Coming off a 24-point outing in the win against the Hornets, Booker led Phoenix's offensive charge. As one of the most gifted offensive players in the current era, Booker can score in multiple ways.
With shifty footwork paired and a smooth midrange game, Booker, with his competitiveness and intensity, is a lethal force on the floor.
Booker and Paul have been carrying most of the offensive load for the Suns. As the team continues to win and progresses without their key players, Booker will have to keep up his consistency to help Phoenix maintain their position in the West.
Phoenix Suns Predicted Lineup
G - Chris Paul | G - Devin Booker | F - Mikal Bridges | F - Cameron Johnson | C - Jalen Smith.
New Orleans Pelicans Preview
The New Orleans Pelicans' loss against the Utah Jazz sees them fall to 13-23 on the season. Although the scoreline indicated that the Jazz had a comfortable win, the Pelicans hung tough for large swathes of the game.
With only a three-point deficit heading into the half, the Pelicans did a good job of containing the Jazz' offense. However, with the trio of Bogdanovic, Mitchell and Conley finding their rhythm, the momentum shifted in Utah's favor.
The Pelicans did see some impressive contributions in the rebounding front. With Jonas Valanciunas going toe-to-toe with Rudy Gobert, the Lithuanian big man was active on the scoring front and rebounding glass.
The New Orleans Pelicans' problems began with their shooting, though. Shooting a poor 40.2% from the field and 26.7% from beyond the arc, the Pelicans' misses turned out to be costly, as Utah shot lights out from the floor.
Key Player - Jonas Valanciunas
Jonas Valanciunas has been a great acquisition for the New Orleans Pelicans. Although the Lithuanian big man was expected to play second fiddle to Zion Williamson in the frontcourt, Valanciunas has emerged as one of the top contributors for the Pelicans.
Valaniciunas is an extremely skilled big man. With a strong build and base, he is a solid rebounder and scorer in the low post. His ability to shoot also makes him a threat from beyond the arc too. Overall, Valanciunas makes the New Orleans Pelicans' frontcourt very interesting.
Coming off a 25 point and nine rebound performance against the Jazz, Valanciunas has shown that he can hold his own against the best big men in the league.
Against a short-handed Suns team's big-man lineup, Valanciunas has the opportunity to dominate the relatively inexperienced center Jalen Smith in scoring and rebounding.
New Orleans Pelicans Predicted Lineup
G - Devonte' Graham | G - Josh Hart | F - Brandon Ingram | F - Herbert Jones | C - Jonas Valanciunas.
Suns vs Pelicans Match Prediction
Although the New Orleans Pelicans will enjoy home-court advantage along with some size advantage in this game, the Phoenix Suns are favored to win.
Against the Pelicans on the second night of a back-to-back, the Suns will be well rested, and have a winning momentum heading into this game. While also considering their superior ability to execute their game plan, the Suns could have the New Orleans Pelicans on the ropes.
The Pelicans' best hope lies in the combined play of Valanciunas and Brandon Ingram. Should they find their mojo from behind the three-point line, the Pelicans might just pull off an upset on Tuesday.
Where to watch Suns vs Pelicans game?
The Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans game will be locally broadcast on Ball Sports New Orleans. The game will also be available on the NBA’s League Pass platform. Fans can listen to the game by tuning into ESPN 100.3 FM too.
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