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It’s the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs, with the Suns looking to get back to the Finals. Even with Zion Williamson on the sidelines, the Pelicans managed to make the most of the players available and are now playing with house money. Here’s how the teams stack up against each other.
No. 1 Suns vs. No. 8 Pelicans
Head-to-head record: Suns 3-1
Overall record: Suns 64-18, Pelicans 36-46
Leading scorer on Suns: Devin Booker
Leading scorer on Pelicans: CJ McCollum
Odds to win series: Suns -1000, Pelicans +650
The Phoenix Suns ran away with the No. 1 seed of the Western Conference and should have their sights set on winning an NBA title this postseason with the best record in the league by a fairly wide margin. This has been quite the instant rise for a franchise that went a decade without a postseason appearance before making it all the way to the NBA Finals where they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games last season. Phoenix has a talented roster led by Devin Booker in points along with big man Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul, who is looking for his first championship.
The Pelicans caught a break with Paul George entering health and safety protocols to eventually take out the Clippers to clinch the No. 8 seed. New Orleans nearly gave away the game in the third quarter, but managed to close out the contest strong in a 105-101 win. Now, the Pelicans hope they can pull off another upset against the top team in the league on record.