Phoenix Suns (18-14) - New Orleans Pelicans (15-15) 5 PM PST
The Phoenix Suns are clicking. Winners of six straight, these Suns find themselves holding down the final playoff spot in the stalwart Western Conference. Of the past six wins for Phoenix, five were on the road. The New Orleans Pelicans are right on the heels of the Suns, sitting just two games out of the final, coveted playoff spot. The Suns boast a road record of 11 wins and seven losses while the Pelicans are 9-4 in front of their fans this season. Who will prevail in the first meeting of the year between these two playoff hopefuls?
Starting Line-ups
PG- Eric Bledsoe / Jrue Holiday
SG- Goran Dragić / Tyreke Evans
SF- P.J. Tucker / Luke Babbitt
PF- Markieff Morris / Anthony Davis
C- Alex Len / Omer Asik
Key Reserves
Phoenix Suns- Isaiah Thomas, Gerald Green, Marcus Morris, Miles Plumlee
New Orleans Pelicans- Austin Rivers, John Salmons, Ryan Anderson, Dante Cunningham, Alexis Ajinca
Injury Report
Phoenix Suns: No injuries.
New Orleans Pelicans: Eric Gordon (Out) due to a torn left labrum.
News
-The Phoenix Suns swept the season series 4-0 against New Orleans last year. Anthony Davis played in three of the meetings.
-Goran Dragić exploded for a career-high 40 points last season against the Pelicans. He's averaged 21.6 points on nearly 52 percent shooting in his last three games.
-The Phoenix Suns, looking for their seventh consecutive victory, have not accomplished such a streak since 2010, when the team finished 54-28, third place in the West.
- Eric Bledsoe in his last five games: 19.6 ppg 8.5 rpg 6.2 apg
-Alex Len will be starting his eighth straight game tomorrow. The team is 6-1 since he was inserted into the starting line-up, the one loss coming on a Khris Middleton buzzer-beater against Milwaukee.
-Anthony Davis has been averaging 27.5 points, 11 rebounds, and almost four blocks per game in his last four contests. He is certainly making a case as an early-season MVP candidate.
-Ryan Anderson has attempted at least five three-pointers in each of his past five games. He has averaged almost 18 points in his last nine games.
-Curious to see if the Suns have P.J. Tucker guard Anthony Davis at any point of this game. Tucker has defended the likes of Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins, and Blake Griffin this season.
Quote of the Day
"This team is a great road team... We find a way to get it done and overcome the challenges of the road." - Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe
Key Match-up
Markieff Morris (15 ppg 6 rpg 0.6 blk 49% FG)
vs
Anthony Davis (24.6 ppg 10 rpg 3 blk 56% FG)
Conclusion
Both teams want to win this game as bad as the other team. Although we are not even at the midway point of the season, these teams will likely be battling one another for a playoff spot out West come April. It will be tough for New Orleans to shut down the talented trio of point guards the Suns will roll out, especially since they seem to have found a rhythm that was not there a few weeks ago. Phoenix has a problem of its own, and that problem goes by the name of Anthony Davis. Davis has put up huge stats against many teams this year, and should have little trouble producing against a rather weak Suns frontcourt. This should be a close contest between two teams trying to stay in the playoff picture in the punishing Western Conference.