Pelicans vs. Suns Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for December 11 (Back Another High-Scoring Game in New Orleans)

Pelicans vs. Suns Game Info

• Date: Sunday, December 11, 2022
• Time: 3:30 PM ET
• Venue: Smoothie King Center -- New Orleans, Louisiana
• Coverage: BSNO and BSAZ

The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Sunday with seven more games, including a battle between the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans. The Suns rank fourth in the Western Conference with a 16-10 record, while the Pelicans check in first with a 17-8 record. This is going to be an intense one.

Phoenix and New Orleans met on Friday night in what was a back-and-forth battle up until the final whistle. The Pelicans emerged victorious by a score of 128-117 thanks to Zion Williamson's 35 points and 7 rebounds. His dunk with just a few seconds left on the clock created a postgame scuffle, too.

Pelicans vs. Suns Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: NO: (-152) | PHO: (+128)
• Spread: NO: +3 (-110) | PHO: -3 (-110)
• Total: 226.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Pelicans enter this contest as slight home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 3:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 226.5 points, which is about average compared to the rest of Sunday's projected totals.

Pelicans vs. Suns Betting Trends

• The Pelicans went 42-40-0 ATS last season.
• The Suns' ATS record as underdogs of 2 points or greater was 5-4 last season.
• Last season, the combined scoring went over the point total 33 times in Pelicans games.
• There were 41 Suns games (out of 82) that hit the over last season.

Pelicans vs. Suns Prediction & Pick

This is a weird spot for the Suns as they have dropped three games in a row and now have 10 losses on the year. This comes after Phoenix lost 14 games in the entire 2021-22 regular season. Devin Booker's struggles are partly to blame as he is averaging only 14.0 points during the losing streak.

The Pelicans have won six straight games and the efforts of Williamson are a big reason why. The 22-year-old is averaging 29.2 points per game during the winning streak. New Orleans could be in for a rude awakening on Sunday, though, as Phoenix has not lost four in a row since December of 2019.

The Suns are 9-4 straight up in their last 13 games against the Pelicans and I trust them to leave it all out on the court.

Final Score Prediction: Pelicans: 114 | Suns: 119

Pelicans vs. Suns Best Bet

Fading a Pelicans team that is 11-3 at home this season is risky, so shifting gears to the point total is the best option here. These are two of the best offenses in the NBA. The Suns and Pelicans each rank among the top five teams in offensive efficiency and are putting up at least 115.8 points per game.

As a result, the total has hit the over in five of Phoenix's last seven games as well as in 10 of New Orleans' last 15 games. The over has also cashed in six of the last seven head-to-head meetings between the Suns and Pelicans. With emotions high, look for the stars to step up in this matchup.

Bet: Over 226.5 Points (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.