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The New Orleans Pelicans are opening their 2022 Playoff campaign with a tough challenge as they face the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round. Willie Green's squad has definitely gotten momentum after going through two tough Play-in games against the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively.
Despite gaining their rhythm to start the postseason, the Suns are definitely no pushovers as they've dominated the league in the regular season. It will be an entertaining matchup with New Orleans trying to do the impossible and pull off an upset victory against a strong title contender in Phoenix.
With that said, let's take a look at three bold predictions for the Pelicans' first-round matchup against the Suns in the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
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Pelicans Predictions Vs Suns
3. Both Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum will score 30 points apiece multiple times in this series.
Zion Williamson has resurfaced and has been seen dunking on the court but remains to be out in terms of real 5v5 action. Amid his extended absence, the scoring load will primarily fall on the shoulders of Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum for this series and even for the remainder of their playoff run should they advance to the next round.
Both players have been leading the team's offensive attack ever since McCollum was acquired in a mid-season trade from the Portland Trail Blazers. The veteran guard has increased his scoring average since he landed in New Orleans with 24.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in 26 games played.
Ingram, on the other hand, continues to be a reliable scorer after averaging 22.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 55 appearances in the regular season. In their first Play-in game against the Spurs, both McCollum and Ingram almost scored 30 points apiece as they've produced 32 and 27 markers in that game which resulted in a 113-103 victory.
Going up against a well-oiled machine like the Suns, both players will surely have to be at the top of their offensive game in order for them to have a good chance against their top-seeded opponents. Additionally, the third guy in Jonas Valanciunas is also expected to have timely contributions on the offensive end as well.
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If all the aforementioned players get to click on offense against Phoenix then this series will definitely be tighter than most have expected it to be.
2. New Orleans will have a tough time limiting the offensive firepower of Phoenix all series long.
It can't be denied that the Pelicans have found diamonds in the rough throughout the 2021-22 season. These include Herb Jones who has played significant minutes in his rookie campaign, primarily due to his stellar defense. The Alabama standout finished the regular season with averages of 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks in 78 games played.
Another unheralded rookie in Jose Alvarado has made a name for himself on the defensive end with 1.3 steals in 54 appearances off the bench. Not to mention that Jonas Valanciunas has also put up a valiant defensive stand after tying his career-best average of 0.6 steals per game during the regular season.
These defenders will surely make life harder for the main contributors of Phoenix, namely Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton, among others. However, it is uncertain whether the defensive efforts of the Pelicans will be enough to completely limit their opponents' production on offense.
Booker, in particular, will be hard to stop after averaging a career-high 26.8 points per game in 68 appearances in the regular season. He will definitely have huge scoring nights against New Orleans and it will be up to the Pelicans defenders to try and put the clamps on the three-time All-Star as much as they can.
If they fail to do so then it would be hard for them to have a good chance of pulling off an upset victory in this opening-round series against the Suns.
1. The Pelicans will lose to the Suns in 5 games.
The Pelicans have proven that their young team has potential after turning around their campaign in the 2021-22 season. From almost looking like a surefire lottery team, Willie Green and his men have made it past two Play-in games and successfully secured a playoff berth with the eighth seed.
Despite showing evident improvements on the floor, facing off against a loaded Suns team in the opening round will definitely be a tall order for a team like the Pelicans. Grit and resilience have gotten them this far but it remains uncertain whether or not these intangibles can carry them past the first round, especially against the best team in the league during the regular season.
Who knows, maybe Brandon Ingram and company can pull off some surprises but it will be hard to see them upsetting the Suns in this series. Barring any injuries to their key players, Phoenix has a good chance of getting past New Orleans in five games to advance to the next round.
