Hornets vs Suns Odds, Picks and Preview

• The Charlotte Hornets travel to face the Phoenix Suns at 8 pm ET on Sunday, Dec. 19th 
• The Hornets enter the game at 16-15 overall, while the Suns come in at 23-5 on the year
• See below for the latest odds, analysis and the best bet

An inter-conference matchup between the Charlotte Hornets and the Phoenix Suns will cap off action in the NBA on Sunday, Dec. 19th at Footprint Center in Phoenix on NBA League Pass.

Heading into the contest, the Suns are listed as 8.5-point favorites over the Hornets.

Hornets vs Suns Odds

Odds as of Dec. 18th from FanDuel

Charlotte is 16-15 overall and is 3-7 in its last 10 games, currently the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets are coming off of a 125-116 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday in Portland.

Phoenix enters at 23-5 overall and is 8-2 over the last 10 contests going into Sunday, sitting right atop the West standings along with the Golden State Warriors. The Suns most recently defeated the Washington Wizards 118-98 on Thursday in Phoenix.

Injury Report

A handful of Hornets players will be out on G League assignment, including Vernon Carey Jr., Kai Jones, Arnoldas Kulboka, Scottie Lewis and JT Thor.

Phoenix will be without Chandler Hutchison (G League), Frank Kaminsky (knee), Abdel Nader (knee) and Dario Saric (ACL), while Devin Booker (hamstring) is listed as questionable.

Can Hornets End Road Struggles?

Although it has been relatively solid at home with an 8-4 record, Charlotte has struggled on the road which could factor into Sunday’s game. The Hornets enter the game 8-11 away from home, including a loss most recently in Portland on Friday.

At home, Charlotte has averaged 116.8 points while giving up 113.8 points per game to opposing teams. On the road, the Hornets have flipped that, giving up 118.4 points to opposing offenses while averaging 114.8 points on their own end.

LaMelo Ball has continued to play well for Charlotte this season, leading the team with 20.3 points, 8.1 assists, 7.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals a game. Behind Ball, Miles Bridges has added 19.6 points and 7.3 rebounds, Gordon Hayward has averaged 18 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists, Terry Rozier has tallied 16.9 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. has averaged 16.6 points and 4.1 rebounds.

Suns Try to Stay Hot at Home

Phoenix has been one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the last month-plus, riding a two-game winning streak while also carrying a 13-2 record in front of its home crowd. Phoenix will wrap up a brief two-game homestand against Charlotte before hitting the road to Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The Suns have been a solid defensive squad to this point in the year, which will be a big factor in Sunday’s game once again. Phoenix enters the game with a defensive rating of 104.2, which is the second-best mark in the NBA. It is also giving up 104.5 points per game, allowing opponents to shoot 43.9 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from three in nearly 30 games.

Individually, Booker has led the Suns when he is healthy, averaging 23.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Behind Booker, Deandre Ayton has tallied 16.9 points and 11.1 rebounds and Chris Paul has added 14.5 points, 10.1 assists, our rebounds and two steals per contest.

Prediction and Best Bet

Although both teams are currently holding onto playoff positions in their respective conferences, Phoenix still overmatches Charlotte especially with how the Suns have been playing as of late. Now with Phoenix getting players back onto the court from injury or other reasons, it should be able to take care of business at home against Charlotte on Sunday.

As far as the best bet of the night, go with the over on the total of 226.5. These are two of the top offenses in the NBA, with the Hornets ranked second and the Suns ranking sixth in the league in points per game, so they should be able to hit the over on that total.

The Pick: Over 226.5 (-110)