Top favourite with the next victory?

The Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans face off in Game 2 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The home side won the first game by eleven points.

Phoenix Suns – Statistics & current form

The best team of the regular season (64-18) got the win as expected to open the series. Head coach Monty Williams, however, could not be satisfied with his team’s rebounding.

The Pels ended up with a whopping 20 more boards, but the shot-blocking was very strong. The Arizona hoopers managed nine blocks, while their opponents only managed two.

Especially centre Deandre Ayton stood out in this context with four blocks! In addition, Chris Paul had a very strong day, even by his standards: 30 points, ten assists and seven rebounds are impressive proof of this. Especially in the fourth quarter, the “Point God” was unstoppable with 17 points.

New Orleans Pelicans – Statistics & current form

NOLA have always had to watch the postseason as an onlooker in the past three seasons, but this year they booked their ticket by a hair’s breadth after a successful appearance in the play-in tournament.

The men from the Smoothie King Center could thank Jonas Valanciunas first and foremost in the first duel in terms of the positive balance in rebounds. The 29-year-old centre cleared no less than 25 boards on the side of Head Coach Willie Green!

Phoenix Suns – New Orleans Pelicans Tip

For the Game 2 clash between the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans, the forecast includes more than 12.5 rebounds by Jonas Valanciunas on the visitors’ side. The centre recorded double the number in terms of the selected limit in the first match-up and set a career-high in the playoffs.

In the process, the NBA’s seventh-best rebounder during the regular season grabbed the boards on both sides of the court in reliable fashion, as the Lithuanian “big man” recorded 13 of the 25 rebounds on the offensive end.