The New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns will tip off slightly after the scheduled time of 8:30 p.m. Central due to a suspicious package near Atlanta’s State Farm Arena delaying the start of the Hawks-Heat matchup.
Since we’ve got a few extra minutes to fill, let’s talk championship aspirations because the Pelicans odds have jumped up significantly since the start of this week.
| Milwaukee Bucks | 9/2 | Boston Celtics | 9/2 | |
| Golden State Warriors | 21/4 | Phoenix Suns | 9/2 | |
| Miami Heat | 9/1 | Milwaukee Bucks | 9/1 | |
| Brooklyn Nets | 14/1 | Memphis Grizzlies | 10/1 | |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 16/1 | Philadelphia 76ers | 10/1 | |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 20/1 | Brooklyn Nets | 22/1 | |
| Utah Jazz | 22/1 | Dallas Mavericks | 25/1 | |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 66/1 | Utah Jazz | 40/1 | |
| Denver Nuggets | 80/1 | Chicago Bulls | 100/1 | |
| Toronto Raptors | 125/1 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 200/1 | |
| Atlanta Hawks | 200/1 | Atlanta Hawks | 500/1 | |
| Chicago Bulls | 200/1 | Denver Nuggets | 500/1 |
With no Devin Booker — perhaps for the rest of this first-round series — and the Pelicans winning game 2 in Phoenix, the improved odds should not come as a complete surprise.