With the Phoenix Suns finally learning their opponent in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, the New Orleans Pelicans, they can start mounting their comeback to the NBA Finals. The Suns, in their first playoff appearance since 2010, made the Finals last year, only to lose to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. They came back even stronger this year, at least in the regular season, and won 64 games, the best record in the league.

 

With this series set to begin on Sunday, here are 3 bold Suns predictions for the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs vs the Pelicans.

Phoenix Suns first round of 2022 NBA Playoffs predictions

3. Devin Booker will average 35 points per game 

Devin Booker just finished his third All-Star season. He also set a personal record for points, as the star guard averaged 26.8 points on 46.6% shooting from the field and 38.3% from behind the arc. Booker has been phenomenal and despite all Suns players contributing to the gargantuan effort they had this and last season, it is visible that he is their best player. Now, coming up against the Pelicans, Booker might be in line to have a great series. One negative, if it can be called like that, is that the round will likely end after four games, due to the Pelicans just being overmatched, but that should not stop Booker from balling out.

It is not only that Booker is an amazing scorer. The Suns' guard has shown us that over the years, most notably with a 70-point game versus the Boston Celtics in 2017. It is also the fact that the Pelicans cannot guard the three-point line, Booker's bread, and butter if he is given a chance. The Pels are ranked 26th in the league in opponent three-point percentage, while also allowing 8th-most three-pointers scored in the NBA. Additionally, he will be matching up with the likes of CJ McCollum and Devonte' Graham, guys that simply cannot guard him. The Suns star will definitely fill it up, and he could reach around 35 points per game.

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2. The Pelicans will not go over 100 points in any of the games 

That being said, the Pelicans do have some things going for them in that department. With McCollum there, they have two incredibly talented scorers, both with the ability to get hot and really score. At the end of the day, in their two play-in games, the Pelicans scored 113 and 105 points against the Spurs and the Clippers, respectively. With all due respect to both squads, they are nowhere near the level of the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are a great offensive team, but they are also one of the best teams in the league defensively. The team from Arizona was ranked 3rd in defensive rating this season, according to Basketball Reference. However, it is not only about the numbers – but it is also about specific matchups.

The Suns have two masterful defensive players in Mikal Bridges and Chris Paul. Both are lockdown defenders and both will be matched up with the main offensive weapons of the Pelicans, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum. Additionally, there are more bodies that the Suns can throw on the Pelicans' offensive threats, including Jae Crowder, Cameron Johnson, and to protect the basket, Deandre Ayton. It is true that in all four games they played this season, the Pelicans went over 100 points in each of them, but that was the regular season. The Suns are looking ahead to the later rounds and will likely look to finish the job as quickly and effectively as possible.

1. It will be a four-game series and it will be very close to the record overall margin of victory

Out of all the matchups in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, this one is the most lopsided. Unfortunately for the Western Conference play-in teams, only the Clippers would have some sort of a shot versus the Suns, if they get Kawhi Leonard and Paul George back. As they were both out for the play-in game, it was the Pelicans who got the opportunity to fall to the Suns in the first round. Obviously, the Timberwolves, as they did have a good season, could potentially get a game or even two against the Suns, but these Pelicans, especially without Zion Williamson, do not stand a singular chance. However, we predict it will go further – it will be fairly close to the record overall margin of victory in a single playoff series.

It will be a tough job, as there were some huge lopsided series and wins in NBA playoff history. The record is held by the Nuggets, which destroyed the New Orleans Hornets in five games with the point differential being +141 for the Nuggets. That means that the Suns, to break this record, would need to win four games by an average of 35.25 points. While that is highly unlikely to ever happen again, we would not be surprised if the Suns can come close to it. They want to establish dominance, get this first round behind them, and their opponents are the Pelicans, with the 19th-ranked offense and the 20th-ranked defense. If there was ever a chance, this is it. The Suns will obliterate the Pelicans in four games.