Phoenix Suns (36-27) beat New Orleans Pelicans (20-45) 118-116 at home on Friday, March 6 in a game that stayed within 11 points at every quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Pelicans struck first, taking the opening quarter 29-26 and a 3-point lead after one. The Suns moved in front with a 32-23 second quarter, carrying a 6-point lead into halftime.
The Suns won the third 34-29 to create some separation, taking a 11-point lead into the fourth. The Pelicans took the fourth 35-26; the Suns held on for a 118-116 regulation win.
The edge that mattered
The Suns got more from their shots, finishing at 55.6% effective field-goal shooting compared with 50.6% for the Pelicans. The Suns took better care of the ball, turning it over on 12.2% of possessions compared with 14.4% for the Pelicans. In a 2-point game, that shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Pelicans did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 38.6 against 20. The Suns made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 98 possessions per team, the Suns produced 120.6 points per 100 possessions to 118.5 for the Pelicans.
Who made the difference
Devin Booker was the game's biggest individual force for PHX: 32 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast on 10-21 shooting. His Game Score of 22.9 led everyone. His team was +1 with him on the floor.
Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 22 pts, 2 reb, 4 ast on 6-17 shooting, good for a 18.2 Game Score.
Zion Williamson (19 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Suns about a 76% chance.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, Phoenix Suns lead 4-2.
The Suns are now 36-27, and the Pelicans are 20-45. The Suns last five before this game: L-L-W-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.