The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Phoenix Suns in Game 4 Sunday night, taking one step closer toward upsetting the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. With the series tied 2-2, the West’s No. 8 seed has a real chance to become the most unlikely first-round winner of the 2022 NBA playoffs.

After beating the Suns 118-103, the Pelicans are only +205 underdogs at FanDuel Sportsbook to win the series. It’s a drastic change from earlier in the playoffs. New Orleans was given +1400 odds to eliminate Phoenix when it lost Game 1.

Devin Booker’s hamstring injury has changed the complexion of the series. The Suns were massive -3500 favorites entering Game 2, during which Booker got hurt and was potentially lost for the entire series. Heading back home for Game 5, the Suns have -250 odds to reach the second round.

If New Orleans beats Phoenix, it would arguably be the greatest upset in NBA playoff history. The Suns finished 28 games ahead of the Pelicans in the regular-season standings. Phoenix’s 64 wins were more than any other NBA team.

In league history, only four No. 8 seeds have defeated a No. 1 seed in a playoff series. None of those No. 8 seeds finished more than 25 games behind their first-round opponent, and they all had winning records.

New Orleans had a 36-46 record. The Pelicans finished the regular season with the West’s ninth-best record and only reached the playoffs through the play-in tournament. New Orleans last won a playoff series four years ago with none of the players that are on the Pelicans’ current roster.

The Suns lost in the 2021 NBA Finals.

Booker is Phoenix’s leading scorer and considered a top-five MVP candidate. With the shooting guard out, Brandon Ingram is the top scorer in the series with 29.8 points per game on 51.2% shooting. CJ McCollum’s 24.0 points per game are higher than any Suns’ player who’s played in all four games.

Chris Paul is averaging 19.8 points and 12.3 assists per game. Paul was held to just four points in Game 4.

Including the playoffs, the Suns are 9-7 without Booker.

New Orleans Pelicans
CJ McCollum #3 of the New Orleans Pelicans stands on the court during the fourth quarter of an NBA game against the Miami Heat at Smoothie King Center on February 10, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sean Gardner/Getty Images
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