Suns vs. Hornets Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, April 2

Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns remain on the road on Thursday night, as they’ll take on the Charlotte Hornets and LaMelo Ball in a battle between two play-in teams.

Charlotte is currently the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, but it still has a chance to move up in the standings over the final six games of the regular season. The Hornets have the No. 2 net rating in the NBA since the All-Star break, making them a dangerous team to face if they can make the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Suns appear to be locked into the No. 7 spot (the top play-in spot) in the Western Conference. Phoenix is coming off a road loss to the Orlando Magic on the second night of a back-to-back on Tuesday.

On the bright side, the Suns did welcome Dillon Brooks (hand) back into the lineup, giving them a key wing defender and scorer for the stretch run of the regular season.

Oddsmakers have set the Hornets as favorites in this game, and it’s worth noting that the Suns are 23-14 against the spread on the road, though they’re just 11-12 as road underdogs.

Let’s dive into the odds, a player to watch in the prop market and my prediction for Thursday’s matchup.

Suns vs. Hornets Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Suns +5.5 (-108)
Hornets -5.5 (-112)

Moneyline

Suns: +180
Hornets: -218

Total

223.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Suns vs. Hornets How to Watch

Date: Thursday, April 2
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Spectrum Center
How to Watch (TV): FanDuel Sports Network (Local), Arizona’s Family Sports
Suns record: 42-34
Hornets record: 40-36

Suns vs. Hornets Injury Reports

Suns Injury Report

Amir Coffey – out
Haywood Highsmith – out
Mark Williams – questionable

Hornets Injury Report

Tosan Evbuomwan – out
PJ Hall – out
Liam McNeeley – out
Antonio Reeves – out
Tidjane Salaun – out

Suns vs. Hornets Best NBA Prop Bets

Hornets Best NBA Prop Bet

Kon Knueppel OVER 16.5 Points (-117)

In today’s best NBA props column for SI Betting, I shared why Knueppel is a buy-low candidate on Thursday:

Knueppel is in a little bit of a slump right now, falling short of 17 points in five of his last six games. However, this prop has come down from 19.5 to 16.5 for the Rookie of the Year favorite, so I’m going to buy low against the Phoenix Suns.

This season, the Duke product is averaging 18.8 points per game while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from 3, taking a healthy 13.4 shots (and 7.9 3-pointers) per game.

Even with this recent slide, Knueppel still averaged 16.9 points per game in the month of March, and he had 15 points on just 11 shots in his lone matchup with the Suns. I’ll take the OVER on this discounted number on Thursday.

Suns vs. Hornets Prediction and Pick

The Hornets are just two games out of the No. 6 seed in the East, and I love them as home favorites on Thursday.

Charlotte is 11-7 against the spread when favored at home this season, and it has an impressive profile since the All-Star break. The Hornets rank second in net rating, second in offensive rating and sixth in defensive rating while posting a 14-7 record during that stretch.

Meanwhile, the Suns are just 16th in the NBA in net rating (+1.1) since the break and are coming off a loss to the struggling Orlando Magic. Phoenix’s damage on the road has mainly come as an underdog, and it’s actually just 18-19 straight up road games in the 2025-26 season.

I think Charlotte can win this game by multiple possessions on Thursday night.

Pick: Hornets -5.5 (-112 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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