Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 12/27/2025 Preview and Pick

Game: Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Saturday, December 27, 2025

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Gulf Coast Sports

The New Orleans Pelicans (8-23) will try to beat the Phoenix Suns (16-13) at Smoothie King Center on Saturday.

The Suns stepped onto the hardwood against the Lakers and walked away with a win by a score of 132-108 in their last game. Phoenix walked away from the contest having earned a 58.8% FG percentage (50 of 85) and converted 14 out of their 34 3-pointers. At the free throw line, the Suns buried 18 of their 20 attempts for a percentage of 90.0%. Regarding pulling down rebounds, they earned a total of 38 with 12 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 38 dimes for this game while forcing 13 turnovers and earning 9 steals. In reference to defending, Phoenix allowed their opponent to shoot 48.1% from the floor on 39 out of 81 shooting. Los Angeles recorded 26 assists and had 12 steals in the matchup. Additionally, Los Angeles snagged 38 rebounds (14 offensive, 24 defensive) and added 8 rejections. Los Angeles walked away from this one shooting 62.1% when shooting free throws by converting 18 of 29 tries. They also converted 12 of 32 attempts from three-point range. In reference to fouls, the Suns ended up with 23 and the Lakers recorded 25 fouls.

Dillon Brooks is a player who had an impact in this matchup. Brooks ended up shooting 66.7% from the field but finished the game without a dime. He played 24 minutes but didn't pull down any boards. He ended up finishing with 25 points on 10 of 15 shooting.

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Phoenix heads into this one with a win-loss mark of 16-13 for the season. They average 114.9 points per game (21st in the league) while hitting 46.8% from the floor. The Suns are shooting 36.4% on three-point attempts (409 of 1,124) and 79.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Phoenix is collecting 41.9 rebounds per game and has racked up 740 assists this year, which has them ranked 22nd in the league in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 15.9 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 22.3 personal fouls every game.

Defensively, the Suns have forced 17.6 turnovers every game and they draw 19.8 personal fouls. They concede 35.7% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 9th in basketball in PPG allowed (113.9). The Suns defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 47.5% (1,182 of 2,488) and they relinquish 42.7 rebounds per game as a team. They are ranked 6th in the league in giving up assists to their opponents with 744 relinquished for the year.

The last time they took the court, the Pelicans took a loss by a score of 141-118 against the Cavaliers. The Pelicans earned 30 defensive boards and 13 offensive rebounds for a total of 43 in this game. They coughed up the ball 15 times, while getting 10 steals for the contest. The Cavaliers had 21 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Pelicans to the free throw line for a total of 25 attempts. They were able to make 21 of the free throws for a percentage of 84.0%. In terms of shots from downtown, New Orleans converted 11 out of 26 tries (42.3%). When all was said and done, the Pelicans walked away from this one shooting 43 for 94 from the field which had them at 45.7%. The Pelicans permitted the Cavaliers to convert 56 out of 105 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 53.3% in this contest. They shot 40.8% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 20 out of 49 and finished the contest at 9 out of 11 from the free throw line (81.8%). When it comes to how they cleaned up the glass, New Orleans allowed Cleveland to snag 49 in all (14 on the offensive glass).

Zion Williamson ended up having an impact for the Pelicans in this contest. He made 9 out of 15 for the contest for a field goal rate of 60.0%, and had 5 rebounds. Williamson racked up 26 points in his 21 mins on the hardwood and had 1 assist for this game.

New Orleans has a win-loss mark of 8-23 on the campaign. The Pelicans commit 20.5 personal fouls every game and they connect on 79.3% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 24.9 times per game (24th in basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.6 times per game. New Orleans has 3,581 pts for the year (115.5 per contest) and they grab 43.3 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Pelicans are connecting on 46.4% from the floor, which ranks 20th in the league.

The New Orleans defense concedes 35.6% on shots from distance (460 of 1,292) and their opponents are connecting on 79.4% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 29.2 dimes and 45.4 boards per contest, which ranks them 28th and 23rd in the league. The Pelicans on the defensive side of the court are 27th in the NBA in PPG given up with 122.8. They are able to force 15.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 48.9% from the floor (28th in the NBA).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Phoenix

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