Phoenix Suns vs. Charlotte Hornets Prediction, Preview, and Odds
NBA action continues on Friday night with a matchup between the Phoenix Suns (38-27, 7th in the West) and the Charlotte Hornets (17-49, 13th in the East). Phoenix will be on the tail end of a back to back, as they play in Boston on Thursday night (Note: this article was published before the results of the Phoenix/Boston game). Charlotte's most recent game was a win on the road over Memphis, taking down the Grizzlies 110-98, and easily covering as 2.5-point favorites. This is the second and final matchup between these teams this season, with the Suns winning by 14 at home in the first matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 EST from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, and can be found on NBATV.
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Three Games in Four Days
The Phoenix Suns have a tight travel schedule over the next few days. They play in Boston, will travel the same night to Charlotte where they will play the next day. Then just have one day off before they play the Bucks in an afternoon matchup. The Suns may need to go deep in their bench to keep their roster fresh during this stretch, but the good news for Phoenix is that Durant, Booker and Beal are all healthy. The Suns have won three of their last four, and are trying to avoid playing in the Play-In Tournament in the West.
An automatic bucket machine. @Verizon | #ComingInHotpic.twitter.com/wgdx7LyrPa
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 13, 2024
Durant is the top scorer at 28.5 PPG. He is 4th in the league in scoring and is on pace to break the 65-game mark to be eligible for the regular season awards, as he has played in 58 games this season. Durant has scored 35 or more in each of his last four games, including a 45 point performance against Boston. Devin Booker is right behind Durant at scoring with 27.5 PPG, though he has played in seven less games. Booker is coming off a 27 point, seven assist game against Cleveland. Bradley Beal is their third scorer, he is getting 18.6 PPG, his lowest average in eight years, but he has never had teammates like Durant and Booker either. Grayson Allen and Jusuf Nurkic are the other two starters, Allen excels as a spot up shooter and Nurkic does the dirty work inside.
In their last game, Royce O'Neal and Drew Eubanks played the most minutes off the bench, and they will likely need Bol Bol and David Roddy to play more minutes in this stretch. Phoenix is 10th in offensive efficiency and 14th in defensive efficiency according to dunksandthrees.com. They play at the 15th fastest pace in the league.
Injury Report:
Questionable: Eric Gordon, Josh Okogie, Nassir Little
Out: Damion Lee
Hornets Win Two of Three
The Charlotte Hornets are building for the future, as they collect young pieces and draft picks in hopes of turning this franchise around. Brandon Miller is looking like a strong building block, and LaMelo Ball can really play as long as he can stay healthy. The Hornets come into this matchup having won two of their last three games, they beat the Grizzlies and the Nets, but took a surprising loss to the Pistons. In their last game, Charlotte was led by Miles Bridges with 27 points in the win over Memphis.
Yessssir BMill �� @brandmillerr | #LetsFly35pic.twitter.com/1NNmREGVrd
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) March 14, 2024
LaMelo Ball is working towards rejoining the lineup, but is not quite there yet with his ankle. This leaves Miles Bridges as the leading scorer for the Hornets with 21.5 PPG, he has stepped up his scoring recently, getting at least 24 points in each of his last four games. Brandon Miller is next up in scoring, the rookie gets 16.8 PPG and would be in Rookie of the Year consideration if not for Wemby and Holmgren. In recent games, Nick Richards has started at center with his averages of 9.9 PPG and 8.1 RPG because Mark Williams is out with an injury.
The Hornets have also turned to Tre Mann (11.5 PPG) at point guard, and Vaslije Micic (11.3 PPG) at shooting guard. In their last game, Grant Williams and Aleksej Pokusevski got the most minutes off the bench. Charlotte ranks 29th in offensive efficiency and 27th in defensive efficiency. They play at the 20th fastest pace in the league.
Injury Report:
Out: LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams
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Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
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These are two of the worst teams in the NBA at covering the spread. With that said, someone needs to cover, and Charlotte is in a much better spot. The Suns will have to make some decisions with their rotation, they play three games in four days, and will need to find spots to get bench guys major minutes to not tire out their stars. The Suns play the Celtics, Hornets and Bucks in these three games, the obvious game to rest some of their players is when they play this Hornets team. The Hornets have been over achieving lately, they won two of their last three games, and find a surprisingly effective one-two punch with Bridges and Miller. Vaslije Micic has been a welcomed surprise for the Hornets, he has scored double figures in each of his last seven games, and is coming off a 25 point game last time out. The Suns are going to be tired as they have to play the Celtics the night before, then immediately travel to Charlotte. This is a good spot to fade a team on a back to back.
Take Charlotte to cover.
Prediction: Charlotte +10
Full-Game Total Pick
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Phoenix may rest some of their players here, and even if the stars do not sit the game out, there will still be a healthy mix of rotational guys given Phoenix's travel schedule. The Suns only play at the 15th fastest tempo, and their offensive possessions are the 23rd longest in the league. Phoenix takes their time on offense, running sets or isolations for Durant and Booker, which takes time off the clock. Charlotte plays even slower than Phoenix, ranking 20th in tempo, and they have the 21st longest defensive possessions in the league. Phoenix will be tired, and Charlotte does not have the firepower to put up a huge number. The Hornets have gone under in four of their last six, and Phoenix has gone under in ten of their last 11. Follow the trends here.
Take the under.
Prediction: Under 220
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