Suns vs Pelicans prediction NBA · Friday, December 26
At a glance
The New Orleans Pelicans (8-23) host the Phoenix Suns (16-13) on Friday, December 26 at 8:00 PM ET at Smoothie King Center in NBA action. Final score: Suns 115 – Pelicans 108. Before tip-off, the Basketlog model gave the Suns a 63% chance to win: prediction correct. This season, the Pelicans are 6-12 at home and the Suns are 6-8 on the road. Over the last 10 games: 5-5 for the Pelicans and 4-6 for the Suns (current streaks: Pelicans L1, Suns W1).
The analysis Model
The Suns are favored, but the gap isn't huge. The model projects Pelicans 114 – 118 Suns, a margin of about 4.3 points in favor of the Suns and a total around 232 points. Expect a fast-paced, high-scoring game.
- The overall strength gap (-6.7 vs -0.1 pts/game) is the main factor.
- The Pelicans need to win the pace battle to stay in the game.
- The Suns' defense allows clearly fewer points (114.7 pts/game).
What tips the balance
Scenarios
Stat comparison Current season
PHXNO
Top performers
Suns
Devin BookerG · #1530pts / game
Collin GillespieG · #129assists
Mark WilliamsC · #2513reboundsPelicans
Zion WilliamsonF · #120pts / gameZion WilliamsonF · #16assistsZion WilliamsonF · #18reboundsRecent form
PHXNOHead-to-head
PHX lead 4-0 this season.
NO
Team comparison
| PHX | NO | |
|---|---|---|
| 16-13 | Record | 8-23 |
| 114.5 | Points scored / game | 113.9 |
| 114.7 | Points allowed / game | 121.8 |
| -0.1 | Adjusted margin / game | -6.7 |
| W1 | Current streak | L1 |
| 4-6 | Last 10 games | 5-5 |
| 6-8 road | Home / road record | 6-12 home |
| 36-46 (-3.0) | Last season | 21-61 (-9.4) |
| No | Played yesterday | No |
Injury report Suns
Injury report Pelicans
Probabilities estimated by the Basketlog model from available public data. They are neither a certainty nor betting advice.