The Phoenix Suns captured their first NBA Playoffs victory since sports betting in Arizona launched Sunday evening, shellacking the New Orleans Pelicans, 110-99, in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.
The Suns return to the Footprint Center on Tuesday for Game 2 of the series at 7 p.m. on TNT, with an eye toward grabbing a commanding 2-0 series lead over the No. 8 seed.
Monty Williams’ squad was able to thrash the visitors from the Big Easy on Sunday thanks to shooting 53.8% from the field, with guards Chris Paul and Devin Booker combining for 55 points.
The Suns also managed to slow the Pelicans’ fast-paced offense, holding New Orleans to 37.9% shooting. Fast forward 48 hours, and the Suns look to get one step closer to their second consecutive NBA Finals appearance.
Arizona Sportsbooks See Suns as Game 2 Favorite
Take a glance at the NBA betting lines for Game 2, and Phoenix is expected to have little difficulty taking a 2-0 lead.
Oddsmakers at BetMGM Arizona, Caesars Sportsbook Arizona, and DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona all have the Suns at -9.5 (-110) and -550 on Tuesday night.
FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona has even more faith in Williams and company, listing a -10 (-112) line to go with a -500 moneyline for the Suns.
During the regular season, the Suns were 44-38-0 against the spread. Phoenix narrowly covered in Game 1, opening as a 10-point favorite.
The Suns are +160 to sweep the series and +150 to win the series in five games at BetMGM.
Booker Continues His Red-Hot Playoff Output
Another storyline from Game 1 was the stellar play of Booker, who finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
That line continues the trend from the 2021 playoffs, when Booker averaged a team-best 27.3 points per game, eight points better than the next closest Sun (Chris Paul, 19.3 PPG).
Booker also continued his Ironman-like streak of minutes per game from last year’s postseason run, finishing Game 1 with 41 minutes — slightly above the 40.4 he averaged in the 2021 playoffs. Booker is the favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook (+360) to be the NBA Finals most valuable player.
It seems Booker and company are on good footing with Arizona betting apps as they look to bring the Valley its first NBA title in 54 seasons.
