Suns vs. Pelicans: Everything you need to know about NBA playoffs series Game 5

Game 5: Pelicans at Suns

Storyline: To say this is a must-win game for the Suns would be an understatement. Lose on Tuesday, and the team with the No. 1 overall seed in these playoffs would not only lose homecourt advantage in the series, but also face an elimination game in the first round — and who would have thought that possible even a week ago. With Devin Booker still expected out with his hamstring injury, can a team that prides itself on depth and teamwork muster up a big effort against the youthful high-energy being displayed by the Pelicans? The series is even at 2-2 but the Pelicans clearly have had the upper hand, winning two of the past 3 games and generally disrupting everything the Suns are trying to establish.

Phoenix Suns playoff schedule

NBA first-round playoff series, tied 2 wins apiece:

Game 1 — Sunday, April 17: Phoenix 110, New Orleans 99

Game 2 — Tuesday, April 19: New Orleans 125, Phoenix 114

Game 3 — Friday, April 22: Phoenix 114, New Orleans 111

Game 4 — Sunday, April 24: New Orleans 118, Phoenix 103

Game 5 — Tuesday, April 26: New Orleans at Phoenix, 7 p.m. (TNT/Bally Sports Arizona, Arizona Sports 98.7 PM)

Game 5: How to watch the Phoenix Suns vs. Pelicans in Game 5

Game 6 — Thursday, April 28: Phoenix at New Orleans, TBD

Game 7 — Saturday, April 30: New Orleans at Phoenix, TBD (if necessary)

Related: Suns head into pivotal Game 5 vs. Pelicans tied 2-2

Key matchup: Chris Paul vs. Herb Jones

This might have been the key to New Orleans winning Game 4, and it will be a must-see, game-within-the-game on Tuesday night. Jones, a rookie who is a beast on defense, blanketed Paul all night Sunday and limited the future Hall of Famer to 4 points in 35 minutes. Moreover, Paul's NBA record streak of seven games games with 10 or more assists with no turnovers came to an end in Game 4 — Paul dished out 11 assists but turned the ball over 3 times.

Devin Booker injury update

Booker on Monday was ruled out of Game 5. The three-time All-Star missed Game 3 and Game 4 after suffering a mild right hamstring strain in the third quarter of Game 2's home loss to the Pelicans.

He missed two stretches of games during the regular season and the Suns went a combined 8-3 during his absences. Booker was out nearly three weeks with a left hamstring strain in December, then was in the NBA's health and safety protocols after testing positive for COVID-19 in March.

Hot topic: Suns on wrong end of free-throw disparity

Not sure there's one bigger than the free-throw disparity in this series. The Pelicans had a slight edge in free-throw attempts and makes in each of the first three games, but it went off the charts on Sunday, as Suns coach Monty Williams noted with not a little bit of frustration in his postgame comments.

Related: Monty Williams heated over free throw disparity in Suns Game 4 loss to Pelicans

Related: Suns coach Monty Williams fined $15K for publicly criticizing officiating after Game 4 loss

"Let me say this, "42 to 15 in free throws," Williams said. "You can slice it anyway you want to. In a playoff game that physical, that's amazing, OK. Coaches shouldn't have to come up to the microphone and feel like they're going to get their heads cut off for speaking the truth."

For subscribers: 5 takeaways from Suns falling in Game 4, now even with Pelicans

Key stats to know: Brandon Ingram's on fire

—29.8: Brandon Ingram's scoring average through four games, tying the Pelicans' forward for fourth in the league with Dallas' Jalen Brunson. Not a bad start for someone getting his first NBA playoff experience.

—38 and 27: The Pelicans' advantage in free throws attempted and made through four games of the series.

X-factor: Pelicans coach Willie Green

Normally in this space we highlight a Suns' player as the X-factor for a particular game, but Green, the former Suns assistant under Williams, is using his "local knowledge" of his former team to great advantage. Granted, the Pelicans are probably under-seeded, because they have not played like a team that only had the ninth-best record in the Western Conference for months now. Their on-paper seed is 8, but their "real" seed is probably more like a 5 or 6 based on performance when it counts. Green, a first-year head coach, never lost faith in his team even when it started the season 1-12, has played all season without star Zion Williamson and had to survive the play-in pressure cooker.

Moore: Suns have to get way more physical to beat the Pelicans

Suns "Fun Facts": Devin Booker | Chris Paul | Bismack Biyombo | Elfrid Payton

Mark Faller is sports editor of the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach him at mark.faller@arizonarepublic.com, and follow him on Twitter @falleraz.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns vs. New Orleans Pelicans: Everything to know about Game 5