The Hornets look to win two straight versus the Phoenix Suns

INJURY REPORT

Hornets: OUT - Tre Mann (Back Irritation), Grant Williams (R ACL)

Suns: OUT - Royce O'Neale (Ankle)

Game Preview

It's been potentially the most unique week for the Hornets. The Hornets last game was a win over the Phoenix Suns on January 7th, which was their first win since December 8th versus the Pacers.

Their last two games versus the Lakers and the Clippers were postponed due to the fires that have taken place in California. Both games will be rescheduled at a later date. Now, they'll link up with the Suns once again.

For Charlotte, they had their second-best point differential in their win versus the Suns with a 115-104 win. It was one of the few times that the Hornets had their core four available with Ball, Miller, Bridges, and Williams.

LaMelo Ball was spectacular in that game as he poured in 32 points, which is even more impressive, considering he went scoreless for close to the entirety of the first half. Ball continues to put up NBA All-Star-esque performances this season, as he currently leads all Eastern Conference guards in fan voting.

For Phoenix, they've had an interesting season as they've gone through a lot of roster changes and movements. Their recent move was to bench Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic. Beal is still playing heavy minutes in the rotation, however.

Since the switch in the rotation, the Suns have a 3-1 record with their one loss coming to the Charlotte Hornets. Devin Booker has been playing better basketball as of late as he has scored 34 or more points in three out of his last four games.

The Hornets last win versus the Suns in Phoenix was in 2021, where the Hornets won 124-121. The Hornets yearly west coast trip has never been too kind to them, but with a couple of their games getting postponed, maybe they could start the trip with a win over a below .500 team.

Key Matchup: Starters

Usually the bench is one of the key matchups in a game like this, but this game feels like it will come down to the starters for both squads. Can the Hornets keep up with the star power of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant? That will be a true test for this Hornets defense, that currently holds the best defensive rating in the NBA since Christmas.

In the last game between these two teams, the Hornets outscored the Suns starters 80-75. If the Hornets want to win two-straight games versus the Suns, then they'll have to contain Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, or LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller need to keep up with their scoring, while also having Miles Bridges and Mark Williams taking over the interior.

Projected Starting Lineups

Position	Charlotte Hornets	Phoenix Suns
Point Guard	LaMelo Ball	Tyus Jones
Shooting Guard	Brandon Miller	Ryan Dunn
Small Forward	Josh Green	Devin Booker
Power Forward	Miles Bridges	Kevin Durant
Center	Mark Williams	Mason Plumlee

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