The New Orleans Pelicans will try to steal game two on the road tonight against the Suns, but may have to make some adjustments.
Jaxson Hayes played just 11 minutes in game 1 and was ineffective. His lack of offensive game is going to be a problem for a team that already has some spacing issues.
Willie Green went with veteran Larry Nance Jr. and rookie Trey Muprhy IIII more in the second half and it paid off, as the offense started to click and there was more space to operate.
Coach Green may decide to just use one of them in the starting five to see if the Pels can avoid the slow start that doomed them in game one.
Should the Pelicans change the starting lineup?
It’s always hard to change one of the things that got you there, but playoff adjustments are a must when you see something that is not working.
The Pelicans might have to go small to match up with the Suns, and should be able to do so without sacrificing much size. Here is the starting lineup I’d like to see, which would create more space for Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum to operate.
- CJ McCollum
- Brandon Ingram
- Trey Murphy III
- Herb Jones
- Jonas Valanciunas
The Pelicans have to score more than 99 points to beat the Suns and may need to inject a little more shooting and space into the starting five to do it.
This would also give Jaxson Hayes a chance to play his minutes (if he gets any) at the backup five where his athleticism could be more of a weapon against the Suns.
New Orleans Pelicans @ Phoenix Suns: Odds, spread, over/under and best bets
According to WynnBET, the Pelicans are 10 point underdogs on the road against the Suns, down half a point from last game.
The Suns covered the last spread by half a point, but that was with the Pelicans scoring just 34 points in the first half, fewer points than they had in the 3rd quarter alone.
If the Pels can avoid a slow start, I like them to cover this spread and maybe even steal a win on the road. As bad as they were in the 1st half, the Pelicans only lost by 11 points and were within seven in the 4th quarter.
The money lines are set at +425 for New Orleans and -580 for Phoenix. A road win is still a long shot bet for the Pelicans, as the Suns have dominated at home all season, so take the points.
The over/under is 221.5 combined points and I like the under again in this one. Most of the games these two teams have played have been low scoring, and both are playing well defensively. I expect this to be another tight game played in the low 100’s.
Jonas Valanciunas had the big numbers in game one and he is your best bet again in daily fantasy, as he is going to continue to put up huge rebounding numbers against the smaller Suns.
I think Trey Murphy III is the best low-cost daily fantasy bet tonight, as he might get even more minutes in an effort to inject some offense into the lineup and with all of the attention on Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, he should get some open looks.
How to watch Pelicans @ Suns
The game has another late tip-off, this one not until 9:00 PM CT, which is not great for the local market. You can watch on Bally Sports New Orleans (to get the local broadcast team), TNT or listen on ESPN 100.3 FM.