Filip Tomic
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The Phoenix Suns are in a tough spot as they head to New Orleans with the series tied at 1-1 and arguably their best player in Devin Booker not being able to play. Catch the game live on ESPN from 9:30 pm ET, and to add to the drama I’ve prepared a same game parlay which you can find below.
After you’re done checking it out, be sure to also go through our predictions on the side and total for the rest of Friday’s NBA Playoffs slate.
Let’s dive in!
Chris Paul to score 20+ points (-146)
Deandre Ayton over 9.5 rebounds (-140)
Mikal Bridges 2+ made threes (+106)
C.J. McCollum to score 25+ points (-120)
Parlay odds: +958
Chris Paul to score 20+ points (-146)
Through the first 2 games, Paul has reminded us that he’s still capable of putting the ball into the hole, despite playing at the tender age of 36. He’s averaging 23.5 points per game on insane efficiency, shooting 53% from the field and connecting on half of his three-point attempts. That’s just a continuation of his performances against the Pelicans from the regular season where he shot 58% against them from the field and 50% from downtown while making all of his free-throw attempts.
Paul is going to have to turn it up tonight again to make up for the absence of Booker, especially with Deandre Ayton being relatively quiet scoring the ball. New Orleans has done a solid job cutting off the paint scoring so far, but Paul is the master of the mid range and shouldn’t be too affected by that in Game 3.
Be sure to check out our full Game 3 preview for Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans
Deandre Ayton over 9.5 rebounds (-140)
I’ve mentioned Ayton’s scoring, which has been inconsistent so far through 2 games where he scored 21 in Game 1 but only 10 in Game 2. His rebounding has been consistent though, as he collected 9 boards in each of the two games so far. Although that’s under what we need for tonight’s bet, I’m still confident in him going double-digits tonight.
Over the last 2 months of the regular season, Ayton averaged 10.7 and 11.7 per game. He’s also finished with double-digit boards in 8 of the last 9 games to close out the regular season, so him failing to continue that streak in the first 2 games was a bit of a surprise. I really doubt the Suns will allow another 125-point game here. Their defense should tighten up quite a bit which should result in a lot more missed shots and naturally more rebounding opportunities for Ayton. In 2 of his last 3 visits to New Orleans, he’s had 11 and 16 rebounds.
Read our NBA Playoffs mega parlay for Friday’s action (+1013 odds!)
Mikal Bridges 2+ made threes (+106)
Bridges has 2 solid games in the series so far, averaging 15 points per game and shooting 55% from the field and 33.3% from the perimeter. However, the Suns need more, especially now they’ll be without Devin Booker for at least the next 2 games. Over his last 4 of 6 games against the Pelicans, Bridges has been able to connect on at least 2 threes which is an encouraging sign.
New Orleans ranks just 25th in opponent three-point percentage this season allowing 36.4% made shots, so that’s one element of the game the Suns can expose on offense here. Bridges is averaging 39 minutes per game so far, and if he gets that amount of play time tonight don’t be surprised if he goes for over 20 points while sinking a couple from downtown.
C.J. McCollum to score 25+ points (-120)
McCollum has really enjoyed playing the Suns this season. During the 4 matchups in the regular season he averaged 24.8 points per game and in the playoffs so far he’s had a 23 and 25-point game. With the series switching to the Smoothie King Center for the next 2 games, that should do McCollum’s production well as he’s averaged 25.8 points per game in that building over 13 regular-season games.
In his last 10 games against the Suns, McCollum’s scored 25 or more points 7 times, and he has to show up tonight if his team plans on winning here. Not having Booker guarding him should also do him well, so fingers crossed he can continue his solid shooting streak here.
Also check our +650 and +1400 odds first-basket best bets for tonight!
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