Charlotte Hornets vs Phoenix Suns Prediction and Betting Tips | Jan. 12, 2025

The Charlotte Hornets’ five-game road swing finally gets underway when they face the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. Charlotte’s games against both Los Angeles teams were postponed due to the wildfires hitting the city. The Hornets, who won the first meeting against the Suns 115-104 on Tuesday, hope to sweep the season series.

Meanwhile, the Suns will host the Hornets on short rest. Kevin Durant and Co. are coming off a 114-106 win against the Utah Jazz on Saturday. Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic are healthy and are expected to lead the Suns.

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Charlotte Hornets vs Phoenix Suns Preview, Prediction, Starting Lineups and Betting Tips

Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, will host the Hornets-Suns game. Basketball fans can stream the action by subscribing to the NBA League Pass.

Moneyline: Hornets (+245) vs Suns (-305)

Odds: Hornets (+7.0) vs. Suns (-7.0)

Total (O/U): Hornets (o224.0 -110) vs. Suns (u224.0 -110)

Editor’s Note: The odds could change closer to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of writing.

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Charlotte Hornets vs Phoenix Suns preview

The Charlotte Hornets broke a 10-game losing slump with a win against the Phoenix Suns a few days ago. They did it by crushing the Suns on the boards. Charlotte dominated the rebounding battle 59-42, including a massive 20-8 advantage on the offensive glass. If the Hornets can sustain that performance, they have a good chance of winning the season series against the favored Suns.

Despite the disparity on the boards, the Suns stayed within striking distance of the Hornets before eventually losing. Phoenix shot 8-for-33 from deep in that game, another big reason for its loss.

The Suns’ to-do list is quite simple. They must compete better under the boards and hope their 3-point shots fall on their home court. If they can do that, they are likely getting revenge in the rematch.

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Charlotte Hornets vs Phoenix Suns predicted starting lineups

Hornets

PG: LaMelo Ball | SG: Josh Green | SF: Brandon Miller | PF: Miles Bridges | C: Mark Williams

Suns

PG: Tyus Jones | SG: Devin Booker | SF: Ryan Dunn | PF: Kevin Durant | C: Mason Plumlee

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Charlotte Hornets vs Phoenix Suns betting tips

The most points Kevin Durant has scored in January was 26 against the Hornets on Tuesday. He hit 8 of 18 shots, but only 1-for-6 from behind the arc. Durant likely shoots more efficiently in front of the Suns' home fans and tops his 27.5 (O/U) points prop.

LaMelo Ball scored 32 points in the first Suns-Hornets meeting. The point guard is averaging 28.0 points per game this month and could be off to another big scoring night against Charlotte’s short-rested opponents. Ball could beat his 28.5 (O/U) points prop on Sunday.

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Charlotte Hornets vs Phoenix Suns prediction

Charlotte has not played in five days, while the Suns will play the Hornets on the second night of a back-to-back set. LaMelo Ball has been playing well this month, but the Hornets are just 2-14 when playing outside Charlotte.

Kevin Durant and his teammates could defend their home court but allow their visitors to cover the +7.0 spread.