Charlotte Hornets vs Phoenix Suns Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Opening Week

Phoenix is 4-6 and allows 118.1 points per game, and Charlotte arrives at 4-7 without its top scorer and its lead passer. The tension at Mortgage Matchup Center is whether a home favorite that defends this loosely can separate at all, even from a visitor with this little creation left.

The Matchup

Phoenix is 4-6, scores 112.8 points per game and allows 118.1, and the Suns beat the LA Clippers 133-110 at home on Tuesday. Devin Booker leads Phoenix at 25.1 points and 4.8 assists per game, and Miles Bridges leads the team at 7.4 rebounds. Mark Williams is out after surgery on his left shoulder, so Phoenix plays without its starting center.

Charlotte is 4-7, scores 98.8 and allows 110.4, and the Hornets beat Cleveland 124-112 at home on Monday. That win came with the roster already thin, and Thursday is thinner in the same spots.

Brandon Miller is out with soreness in his right groin, Dennis Schroder is out with a strain in his left hamstring, and Kon Knueppel is out with a strain in his left hamstring, so Charlotte's top scorer and its lead passer both sit. Moussa Diabate is day-to-day with a quadriceps injury in his right leg, and he leads Charlotte at 9.1 rebounds per game. Keep an eye on whether Diabate plays before placing a bet.

Charlotte has played eleven games and Phoenix ten, so these are this season's numbers with nothing carried over. DraftKings makes Phoenix a 7.5-point home favorite at Mortgage Matchup Center, with a total of 213.5 and the Suns at -250 on the moneyline.

Key Factors

Phoenix's defense is why a favorite this flawed still gets doubted. The Suns allow 118.1 points per game and have been outscored on the season, yet they lay more than two possessions at home. A team that cannot string stops together has to outscore its mistakes every quarter, and Booker carrying the offense alone makes one cold stretch enough to keep a visitor attached.

Charlotte's remaining pieces are built to trade baskets rather than win a grind. Coby White gives the Hornets a guard who can score in bunches, and Naz Reid stretches a Phoenix frontcourt that has no Williams behind Bridges. The Hornets just scored 124 on a good Cleveland team with this same short-handed rotation, which says the offense bends without breaking.

The honest counter is severe. Charlotte scores 98.8 points per game, the weakest attack in this matchup, Miller and Schroder are exactly the players who punish a loose defense, and Diabate's status decides whether the Hornets can hold the glass at all. If Diabate sits and Booker gets going early, Phoenix can run away with this. The points are a bet on Phoenix's defense failing first.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.