The Hornets face a tough opponent!
Both teams have already secured spots in the middle of their respective conferences for the Play-In Tournament in the East and West, but they still have nothing to give away.
Rather, they want to secure the best possible position heading into the Play-In Tournament so they can potentially qualify for the playoffs with just one win in the Play-In Tournament. We can therefore expect two highly motivated teams and a close game. For the Charlotte Hornets vs. Phoenix Suns matchup, we’re predicting an away win or a loss for the visitors by no more than seven points.
Furthermore, we expect Jalen Green to deliver another strong performance for the visitors. The guard has been very reliable in scoring during the final stretch of the regular season. He surpassed his season average of 18 points in five of the past six games, averaging as many as 20.8 points!
Charlotte Hornets – Phoenix Suns Head-to-Head Record
The last matchup between the Hornets and Suns took place in the Valley early last month, with the Suns securing a 111-99 home win. It’s no surprise: the visitors have lost just one of their last ten matchups against the Eastern Conference team!
For the upcoming matchup between the Charlotte Hornets and the Phoenix Suns, the odds nevertheless point toward a home win.
Charlotte Hornets – Phoenix Suns Prediction
The home team cannot rely on home-court advantage against the Suns: After 38 home games this season, they have only a .500 record, and most recently suffered two losses in front of their own fans against the Celtics and Sixers. However, from a gameplay perspective, we still consider the hosts to be on par with their upcoming opponent. An assessment supported by a look at their respective standings. The Hornets are ranked eighth in the East, and Phoenix arrives as the seventh-place team in the West.
Since the bookmakers slightly favor the home team, we see sufficient value in the betting odds for an away win—including a +7.5-point handicap for the visitors—given what we believe is a very even matchup between the Charlotte Hornets and the Phoenix Suns. This prediction is reinforced by the aforementioned dismal recent record of the hosts against the team from Arizona.
