The Phoenix Suns (12-25) are currently on a nine-game losing streak and will take on the Charlotte Hornets (17-17) at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The game starts at 9:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 6 and will air on FAZ and FxS.
The Suns lost big to the Lakers 97-77 on Sunday. Brandon Knight finished with 25 points to lead the team. The Hornets, meanwhile, are coming off a 111-101 loss at the hands of the Warriors on Monday. Jeremy Lamb accumulated 22 points, three steals, and three rebounds.
Kemba Walker has been on a tear over the last five games for the Hornets, averaging 27.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.6 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 1.8 three-pointers.
The Suns are a small one-point underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 205 points. The Suns enter the game with records of 12-25 Straight Up (SU) and 15-22 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 3-7 ATS over their last 10 games. The Suns come into the game with the league’s fifth-ranked home scoring offense, averaging 105.1 points per game on their own court. The Suns are a high-volume three-point shooting team with 9.0 made per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA. If its opponents turn the ball over, Phoenix has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 18.2 points off turnovers, making them the third-best team in the league for that category.
On the other side, Charlotte has a SU record of 17-17 and an ATS record of 16-17-1. Most recently, Charlotte is a meager 3-7 ATS over the last 10 games. The Hornets rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.78.
This is the first meeting of the season for the Suns and the Hornets. The last time they played Phoenix came out on top, bringing its SU record to 6-4 over the Hornets in the last 10 games. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cha, ATS Winner – Cha, O/U – Over
Notes
Phoenix is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games.
Phoenix is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Phoenix’s last 7 games at home.
Phoenix is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Phoenix is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games at home.
Phoenix is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Charlotte.
Phoenix is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Charlotte.
Phoenix is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Charlotte.
Charlotte ranks 13th in points per game with 101.8, while Phoenix ranks 28th in points allowed with an average of 106.3 given up.
Charlotte scores an average of 99.9 points per away game (ranked 14th). Phoenix ranks 23rd in points allowed per home game with 103.3.
In contests where it has given up fewer than 100 points, Phoenix has a 5-4 record. When Charlotte puts up fewer than 100, it is an underachieving 4-14.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Suns are just 7-21 this season. Charlotte is a stellar 13-3 when it reaches the century mark.
The Suns have an offensive rating of 101.6 (ranked 23rd). The Hornets rank 10th for their defensive rating of 101.8.
Phoenix averages 101.0 possessions per game, scoring 1.016 points on each possession. While Charlotte averages fewer possessions per game with 97.6, the team scores more points per possession with 1.043.
Phoenix is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 50.3% (ranked 10th in the NBA). Charlotte is a losing 5-8 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Phoenix makes an average of 20.6 assists per game (ranked 21st). Charlotte ranks higher in assists with 21.2 (ranked 19th).
Phoenix makes an average of 3.9 blocks per game (ranked 26th). Charlotte ranks higher in blocks with 5.8 (ranked seventh).
The Phoenix Suns rank 17th in offensive rebounding, while the Charlotte Hornets rank seventh in defensive rebounding.
The Suns record 9.0 steals per game on average (ranked fifth). The Hornets are 7-6 when allowing at least 8 steals.
