The Phoenix Suns have gotten off to a bit of a slow start in the 2026-27 season, but they blew out the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night for their fourth win. 

Now, they’re looking to start a winning streak when they take on the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night. 

Charlotte’s offense has been the worst in the league through the first three weeks, ranking 30th in offensive rating and averaging a league-worst 98.8 points per game. The Hornets had one of their best offensive showings on the season on Monday, dropping 124 points in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Ironically, Kon Knueppel (hamstring, out for this game), Brandon Miller and Dennis Schroder all sat out that matchup. Miller is listed as out on Thursday, and that’s led to oddsmakers setting Charlotte as a road underdog in this matchup. 

The Hornets made the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference last season, but the move to trade LaMelo Ball has certainly hurt them early on in the 2026-27 season. Can they get back on track against a Phoenix team that has struggled to find the same defensive success it had last season? 

Here’s a look at the odds, a player prop to bet and my prediction for the fourth and final matchup in the NBA on Thursday night. 

Hornets vs. Suns Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Hornets +6.5 (-112)Suns -6.5 (-108)

Moneyline

Hornets: +201Suns:  -244

Total

213.5 (Over -110/Under -110)Hornets vs. Suns How to WatchDate: Thursday, Nov. 12Time: 9:00 p.m. ESTVenue: Mortgage Matchup CenterHow to Watch (TV): WSOC Channel 9, Arizona’s Family 3TV, NBA League PassHornets record: 4-7Suns record: 4-6Hornets vs. Suns Injury ReportsHornets Injury ReportMichael Ajayi – outKylan Boswell – outBrandon Miller – outDennis Schroder – outKon Knueppel – outHannes Steinbach – outGrant Williams – probableMoussa Diabate – probableSuns Injury ReportHornets vs. Suns Best NBA Prop BetHornets Best NBA Prop BetMoussa Diabate OVER 8.5 Rebounds (-138)

In today’s edition of SI Betting’s best NBA props column, I explained why I like Diabate on the boards against this Suns frontcourt: 

Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate has missed back-to-back games, but he’s listed as probable for Thursday’s game against Phoenix.

The Suns are without starting center Mark Williams to open this season, and they’ve struggled on the boards, ranking dead last in the league in rebound percentage and 25th in opponent rebounds per game. 

Diabate has picked up nine or more boards in four games this season, and he has seven games with at least eight rebounds. That gives him a really solid floor for a Hornets team that is short-handed across the roster on Thursday.

Overall, Diabate is averaging 21.2 rebound chances per game, so he’s more than capable of clearing this prop against the worst rebounding team in the NBA. 

Hornets vs. Suns Prediction and Pick

The Suns are off to a slow start in the 2026-27 season, but they’ve been a much better team at home (4-3) than on the road (0-3) through 10 games. 

Phoenix has some impressive home wins over the Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets this month, and it’s now 20th in the league in net rating while posting the No. 13 offense in the league. 

Meanwhile, the Hornets are 27th in net rating, dead last in offensive rating and 19th in defensive rating so far this season. While Charlotte has been better than Phoenix on the defensive end, this offense has been lost without LaMelo Ball (traded to Minnesota). 

To make matters worse, Schroder, Miller and Knueppel are all out on Thursday. While the Hornets won without them on Monday, they had by far their best shooting night of the season in that game. 

I’m not sold that they’ll be able to replicate that on the road, and this Suns team has put up some big scoring games at home (133 points in their last home game) against lesser opponents. 

Ultimately, I just don’t think the Hornets can survive with Miller and Knueppel out for much longer, as they’re already averaging less than 100 points per game this season. 

Pick: Suns -6.5 (-108 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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