The New Orleans Pelicans play host to the Phoenix Suns at Smoothie King Center on Friday.

The Suns (16-9) have been one of the best teams in the NBA this season, but Wednesday's game was truly embarrassing. The Boston Celtics led by as many as 45 points in a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics, but that team has been doing that to many of their opponents. Losing to the best team in the NBA is nothing to be ashamed of, especially since Chris Paul returned in that defeat. He missed 14 games because of a heel issue, and having one of the best point guards of all time back in action is obviously a massive boost. One blip on the radar is nothing to be concerned with, but a 4-6 record on the road is. They need to solve that to get to where they want to be, but this will be another tough task against a formidable opponent.

The Pelicans (16-8) are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They enter this matchup amid a five-game winning streak, winning 10 of their last 12 games in total. This team had lofty expectations coming into the year, and it's scary they're doing most of this damage without Brandon Ingram (toe). CJ McCollum has been in and out of the lineup as well, but Zion Williamson is amid the best year of his career. The power forward is averaging nearly 30 points per game since Ingram went down, and it's fun watching this guy make the rest of the league look like little children. As long as this club stays healthy, they have the talent to beat anyone in the league.

These teams played on October 28, with Phoenix prevailing, 124-111. That gives the Suns five wins in their last six meetings with the Pelicans.