Tip-off: Wednesday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Line: Phoenix -6, Total: 207

The surging Suns embark on a key three-game road trip on Wednesday night when they visit the slumping Pelicans.

Phoenix has been the surprise team of the season, and continues to impress down the stretch with an 8-2 SU record (7-3 ATS) in its past 10 games. This includes two straight wins versus Western Conference playoff-bound teams, the Trail Blazers and Thunder. The Suns defeated Portland by 16 points (109-93) on the road Friday, then headed home to beat Oklahoma City by a score of 122-115 as 2.5-point underdogs on Sunday. Phoenix shot an incredible 58.4% from the field in the contest and was able to fend off Kevin Durant’s 38-point, 11-rebound performance. The Pelicans have had a disappointing season and are currently riding a five-game SU losing skid (1-4 ATS) coming into this game. Four of those five defeats came on the road, including a 100-94 loss to 9.5-point favorite Portland on Sunday as they shot just 42.2% from the field and were out-rebounded by 12. The Suns have been very solid when playing on the road in 2013-14, going 20-17 SU and are the best in the league ATS at 27-10 (73%). Meanwhile, New Orleans is 20-18 SU at home while going 19-18-1 ATS. These two clubs have already faced each other three times on the season, and Phoenix has come away victorious both SU and ATS each time, with its average margin of victory being 8.3 PPG. In the last meeting, the Pelicans traveled to Phoenix and lost in a high-scoring game, 116-104. Both teams shot better than 53% in the contest, but the Suns were able to make five more three-pointers and 11 more free throws. Phoenix has no issues against New Orleans over the past three seasons either, with a 7-3 SU record (6-4 ATS). The Suns come into this game with a surprisingly healthy team, as only SG Leandro Barbosa (hand) and C Emeka Okafor (back) continue to be out. On the other hand, the Pelicans are ending the season with nearly their whole starting rotation riding the bench with injuries. SG Eric Gordon (knee), PG Jrue Holiday (leg) and PF Ryan Anderson (stinger) will sit out for the rest of the season, while C Anthony Davis (back) is probable as he deals with spasms.

Can the Suns pick up a much-needed win on Wednesday night? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2012-13 season. StatFox Zach is a strong 62% ATS (13-8) since March 9, while StatFox Gary has remained hot with a 57% ATS mark (20-15) since Feb. 13. StatFox Dave has a profitable 56% ATS (50-40-2) Best Bets record since Dec. 1.

The Suns have employed a typical fast paced offense and rank sixth in the NBA while scoring 105.7 PPG so far this season. They have tallied big points in their past two games against tough opponents, averaging 115.5 PPG in the victories. Their defense has not been quite as good, allowing opponents to score 102.8 PPG (8th-worst in league) and 104.6 PPG over their past five games. SG Goran Dragic (20.5 PPG, 5.9 APG, 1.3 SPG) has been the driving force for this team all season long, and is coming off a big game (26 points, 5 assists) in the win over the Thunder. In the two meetings with the Pelicans this season, Dragic is averaging 26.0 PPG (60% FG) and 4.0 APG. PG Eric Bledsoe (17.6 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.6 RPG, 1.5 SPG) has infused this team with plenty of energy since returning from a meniscus injury, and has put up 24.0 PPG over the team’s most recent two victories. He has been very impressive against the Pelicans this season (2 games), netting 24.5 PPG (74% FG) with 5.5 APG and 2.0 SPG. PF Markieff Morris (13.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG) has been one of the best bench players in the NBA, and has scored in double-digits in each of his past five games; including two double-doubles. His 19.3 PPG (59% FG), 4.7 RPG and 1.3 SPG have been very solid over his three games against New Orleans this season.

New Orleans is averaging just 99.8 PPG (13th-worst in league), which puts the club as the third-worst scoring offense in the Western Conference. The Pelicans have done even worse over their five-game losing streak, producing just 94.8 PPG over that time. Their defense has also struggled, allowing the 11th-most points to their opponents this season (102.8 PPG). C Anthony Davis (20.8 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 2.8 BPG) has quickly developed into one of the premier players in the league, but has played poorly over his past four games (12.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG) while dealing with back spasms. He’s been huge over his three contests against the Suns on the season, scoring 21.0 PPG (53% FG) to go along with 10.7 RPG, 2.3 BPG and 2.3 SPG. SF Tyreke Evans (14.0 PPG, 4.9 APG, 4.7 RPG, 1.2 SPG) has struggled over his past two games with most of the rest of the team injured, averaging 9.0 PPG on 7-of-20 shooting with 6.5 APG and 4.0 RPG. His three games against Phoenix this season have not gone well either, as he has 7.7 PPG (30% FG), 3.7 RPG and 2.3 APG. SG Anthony Morrow (8.1 PPG) has taken advantage of increased minutes due to injuries and is averaging 20.8 PPG while making 11-of-19 three-pointers (58%) over the past four games. He has netted 10.7 PPG (50% FG) against the Suns over three meetings this season.