Who: Phoenix Suns (4-6) vs. Charlotte Hornets (4-7)
When: 7:00 pm Arizona Time
Where: Mortgage Matchup Center — Phoenix, Arizona
Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports, NBATV
Listen: KMVP 98.7
The Phoenix Suns will see some familiar faces for the first time since being traded, as Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale make their returns to the valley after being traded to the Charlotte Hornets for Miles Bridges this summer. It will also be Miles Bridges’ first time playing against his former team
as well. The trash talk and the competitive juices will be flowing with the familiarity between the two teams, especially if Allen commits a hard foul, which we’ve seen a time or two, or plenty from when he was in Phoenix.
The Hornets caught the injury bug early this season, as franchise cornerstones Brandon Miller and Kon Kneuppel are both out with injuries, so this is another opportunity for the Suns to take advantage of a team not at full strength. With the Suns’ bench coming off its best performance of the season against the Clippers, this is another game where the Suns’ depth can make this game ugly.
This is a game where the Suns should come out and take care of business and play their bench in the fourth quarter, as they did against the Clippers on Tuesday. But it is the NBA, so anything can happen.
Tale of the Tape
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
- Mark Williams — OUT (Shoulder)
Hornets
- Brandon Miller — OUT (Right Hip Strain)
- Kon Knueppel — OUT (Left Hamstring Strain)
- Dennis Schroder — OUT (Left Hamstring Strain)
- Moussa Diabate — PROBABLE (Right Quadriceps Tendinopathy)
- Grant Williams — PROBABLE (Right Hamstring Strain)
- Hannes Steinbach — OUT (G-League – Two-Way)
- Kylan Boswell — OUT (G-League – Two-Way)
- Michael Ajayi — OUT (G-League – Two-Way)
What to Watch For
The Phoenix Suns have improved defensively since the beginning of the season, but the numbers are slow to catch up. They are still 28th in defensive rating, but this should be a game where the defense can take another step forward by playing against the worst offense in the NBA in efficiency and scoring. The Hornets snapped their six-game losing streak on Monday with a win at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers, where Grayson Allen and Naz Reid combined to score 52 points, and the Hornets shot 23-for-46 from the 3-point line in the win. Those two and Coby White will be the key players for the Suns to stop in order to win.
As for the Suns’ offense, Devin Booker has found the sweet spot in the last five games and is leading a league-average Suns offense against a pedestrian Hornets defense. The Suns are sixth in the NBA in 3-point percentage and assists this season, despite the up-and-downs this offense has with ball movement and shooting. Watch for Booker and Dillon Brooks to set the tone early against a beaten-up Hornets team and put them away early so they can rest up for the Luka Doncic-led Los Angeles Lakers rolling into town on Sunday.
Key to a Suns Win
The Hornets are No. 1 in the NBA this season in 3-point attempts and lead the NBA in offensive rebounds per game. Two areas where the Suns have graded out poorly on the defensive side of the floor this year. If the Suns have to defend the three-point line and rebound the ball effectively, they will score in transition off of long misses and completely shut down this Hornets team. However, if the Hornets get hot from 3 and dominate the offensive glass, the Suns are going to be in a four-quarter battle.
Prediction
The Phoenix Suns will pull away late in the third quarter and cruise to an easy win.
