The Round 1 matchup between the Suns and Pelicans puts two of the best stories this NBA season against one another. Phoenix shook off its NBA Finals loss from a season ago and has been the favorites all year, while the Pelicans shook off a 1-12 start and won two play-in games to make the postseason—all without Zion Williamson. While this will likely be a short series, it won’t be short on entertainment thanks to the talent on both sides.

Ahead of Game 1, Bookies.com breaks down the series and makes our NBA picks to back on sports betting sites.

Suns vs Pelicans Odds

Odds via DraftKings and accurate as of publication.

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Suns vs Pelicans Betting Tips

Suns Are as Balanced as It Gets: Phoenix is the only team in the NBA with a top-8 offense and defense, and the Suns are 5th in offense and 3rd in defense. They’re not just title contenders—they’re the easy favorite.

An NBA-best 32-9 home record, an NBA-best 32-9 road record (and the fifth best of all-time!), and an NBA-best +7.5 net rating. With Chris Paul healthy, this is the best and most balanced team from top to bottom in the NBA.

Might We See Zion Williamson? The Suns are going to win the series. Let’s be clear about that. But a return of Zion Williamson, who has been out all season with a foot injury, would bring a ton of intrigue.

Suddenly the Pelicans are looking at a core of Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Williamson, and Jonas Valanciunas. Not awful. And maybe enough to steal one or two games. It’s unlikely Zion sees the court, but how fun would it be?

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Hammer That Under: Sports betting apps will take it into account, but the Pelicans loved the under this season. Including the play-in games, the under has hit in 50 of the Pellies’ 84 games. That’s the second most unders in the league.

Phoenix was split right down the middle on over-unders at 41-41, but New Orleans is going to try to slow these games down to have a shot. We think the unders are a great play here.

Suns vs Pelicans Picks

New Orleans is an incredible story. A 1-12 start. A first-year head coach. No Zion Williamson all season. And yet, here they are. Unfortunately they’ve run into a buzzsaw in the Phoenix Suns, who are rested and motivated.

We think there’s a shot the Pelicans steal a game in New Orleans, but realistically we like the NBA odds that the Suns in four give us. This will be a sweep.

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Suns vs Pelicans Schedule

Game 1: April 17, New Orleans at Phoenix, 9:00 p.m. ET, TNT

Game 2: April 19, New Orleans at Phoenix, 10:00 p.m ET, TNT

Game 3: April 22, Phoenix at New Orleans, 9:30 p.m ET, ESPN

Game 4: April 24, Phoenix at New Orleans, 9:30 p.m ET., TNT

Game 5-7: TBD if necessary