Halftime Report
Down one at the end of the first quarter, the Suns now have the lead. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Pelicans 65-54.
The Suns came into the match with some extra motivation after the loss they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Phoenix Suns @ New Orleans Pelicans
Current Records: Phoenix 12-8, New Orleans 4-18
How To Watch
When: Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET
Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET Where: Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, Louisiana
Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, Louisiana TV: Arizona Family Sports Network
Arizona Family Sports Network Follow: CBS Sports App
CBS Sports App Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.) Ticket Cost: $2.30
What to Know
The Suns have enjoyed the comforts of home their last six games, but now they’ll head out on the road. They will head out to face off against the New Orleans Pelicans at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday at Smoothie King Center. The Suns are expected to win (but not by much) so they better bring their A-game into this one.
The Suns are headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 229, but even that wound up being too high. They came out on top against the Spurs by a score of 104-93 on Tuesday.
The Suns can attribute much of their success to Devin Booker, who almost dropped a double-double on 29 points and nine rebounds. The contest was Booker’s fifth in a row with at least 30 points.
Even though they won, the Suns struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only two offensive rebounds. That’s the fewest offensive rebounds they’ve managed all season.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans’ recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Monday after their ninth straight defeat. They took a 124-112 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Hawks.
Phoenix is on a roll lately: they’ve won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-8 record this season. As for New Orleans, their loss dropped their record down to 4-18.
Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday’s match: The Suns have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 14.8 threes per game. It’s a different story for the Pelicans, though, as they’ve been averaging only 10.6. Given the Suns’ sizable advantage in that area, the Pelicans will need to find a way to close that gap.
The Suns came up short against the Pelicans when the teams last played back in April, falling 113-105. Can the Suns avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Phoenix is a slight 2.5-point favorite against New Orleans, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Suns, as the game opened with the Suns as a 1-point favorite.
The over/under is 221 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Phoenix has won 6 out of their last 10 games against New Orleans.