Game Preview: Suns look to get revenge against Hornets

The Phoenix Suns lost to this same struggling Charlotte squad less than a week ago. It’s time for payback.

Who: Phoenix Suns (18-19) vs. Charlotte Hornets (8-27)

When: 7:00 pm Arizona Time

Where: Footprint Center — Phoenix, Arizona

Watch: AZFamily, Suns Live

Listen: KMVP 98.7

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The Suns hosted the Jazz in a Saturday afternoon battle yesterday and secured a much-needed victory. Devin Booker poured in 34 points, marking the second time in three games he’s reached 30+ points. Is he… back?

Phoenix sure needs him to be as they look to get revenge against a squad that beat them in Charlotte by 11 points last Tuesday.

The Hornets snapped a 10-game losing streak to take down the Suns and haven’t played since that game due to the wildfires in Los Angeles with both of their games postponed.

Since that loss, Phoenix has secured a pair of home wins against Atlanta and Utah and will look to extend their win streak to three games tonight. This will wrap up their three-game homestand before they take off to Atlanta to begin a 5-game road trip on the East Coast.

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Probable Starters

Phoenix

• Mason Plumlee
• Kevin Durant
• Ryan Dunn
• Devin Booker
• Tyus Jones

Charlotte

• Mark Williams
• Miles Bridges
• Brandon Miller
• Josh Green
• LaMelo Ball

Injury Report

Suns

• Royce O’Neale — PROBABLE (Ankle)
• Jusuf Nurkic — OUT (Illness)

Hornets

No one listed

Uniform Matchup

What to Watch For

Interior Battle.

Jusuf Nurkic was benched for the second straight game, Mason Plumlee is… up and down, we’ll call it. Oso Ighodaro has provided a spark but is still just a rookie.

Budenholzer on Nurkic: “He’s a pro. He’s got to be ready. Everybody is earning their minutes. Everybody is earning their opportunities. We’re going to need everybody as we go through the season.”

The Suns did not win the battle in the interior in the first meeting against Charlotte. That needs to change in round two… or at the very least it needs to be closer. Nick Richards has come up in trade rumors connected to the Suns. He dominated Phoenix with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 25 minutes and was +23 in Tuesday’s game. Keep him in Phoenix, please.

The Suns will likely be leaning on rookie Oso Ighodaro to play heavy(ish) minutes again.

Star Power

LaMelo Ball went for 32 & 10 in their last contest and led his squad to victory to snap a 10-game skid. He was dancing around the court, throwing the ball off the backboard, doing typical outlandish LaMelo Ball things. He is fun. The Suns need to make him not fun. They have some hounds (Dunn, Okogie) to do so, but the key is keeping them out of foul trouble.

The Suns will need to find a way to slow Ball down. Well, he won’t slow down… you just have to make life difficult for him and get him to force bad shots and turn the ball over. If Josh Okogie and Ryan Dunn can speed him up to force mistakes, the Suns will be in great shape.

He, Brandon Miller, and Miles Bridges are NOT shy and will let it fly early and often.

Devin Booker needs to continue his hot streak in this one. He poured in 39 against this same team in Tuesday’s loss. He appears to be turning a corner, though it may be too soon to suggest that. If he looks locked in again tonight, that’s a great sign… there is life.

If Book and Durant can get hot at the same time, this one could be over in a hurry. It’s just something that hasn’t happened a ton this season.

Grayson Allen and Bradley Beal providing a spark offensively off the bench is also another massive key in this one. They’ve been instrumental in their two-game streak.

Key to a Suns Win

Show up. Protect your home floor. Secure your third straight win… this game is vital in the playoff race. It’s really that simple.

This is a must-win.

Prediction

The Suns get it done in a barn burner.

Suns 125, Hornets 117

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images