Charlotte Hornets travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns
The Charlotte Hornets could not take down the Denver Nuggets Saturday evening. Can they redeem themselves a day later against the Phoenix Suns?
The Charlotte Hornets (18-20) are now 1-8 against teams from the Western Conference after yesterday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets. With five more games against Western opponents coming up, they’ll have the opportunity to improve that, but with four of those games being against teams over .500, it won’t be easy.
Their next opponent, the Phoenix Suns (9-31), are the one team under .500 they’ll face on this road stint. In fact, they have the second-worst record in the league. That doesn’t mean this a guaranteed win, however, as the Hornets have shown they can lose to teams they shouldn’t.
As mentioned before, Charlotte’s last game was a 123-110 loss to the Denver Nuggets. They are 8th in the Eastern Conference. Phoenix’s previous outing was a 111-121 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. They are last in the West. This is the first of two games against the Suns this season.
Charlotte Hornets at Phoenix Suns
8:00 p.m. EST, Sunday, January 6th, 2019
Talking Stick Resort Arena
Fox Sports Southeast
Injury Report:
CHA:
Jeremy Lamb – Hamstring (Game-Time Decision)
Cody Zeller – Hand (Out)
PHX:
None
Things to watch for:
The Hornets sure could use the services of Jeremy Lamb. Here’s hoping he can go. If not, others will need to step up in his stead. Suns guard Devin Booker is having the best season of his young career, averaging over 25 points and 7 assists a game. It should be fun to see him matchup against Charlotte’s guards.
Playing in the high altitude of Denver and then having to play another game immediately might cause excess fatigue for Charlotte. Hopefully, they can avoid getting gassed late in the game.
Keys to the game:
Phoenix gives up the most personal fouls in the NBA. Obviously, it would be prudent to attack the basket and try and get as much from the free throw line as possible. Phoenix also doesn’t shoot many free throws, either, ranking just 27th in the league in terms of attempts.
Charlotte is middle of the road in that category at 16th, but playing a team like Phoenix could help bolster those numbers. Charlotte must also find a way to keep Booker in check because as many know, he can score at high volumes if left unchecked.
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There’s no such thing as a “gimme” in the NBA, but the Hornets should be able to win this one. Fans are certainly hoping Charlotte doesn’t play down to the Suns’ level. Here’s hoping they can snap their two-game losing streak and come out with a win Sunday night in Phoenix.