The Charlotte Hornets (40-36) play the final of a two-game regular season series tonight at 7:00 PM versus the Phoenix Suns (42-34).<\/p>\n
How does our Charlotte Hornets on SI staff see tonight’s critical seeding game for both teams playing out?:<\/p>\n
Owen Watterson: Hornets 107, Suns 105<\/p>\n
I’ve seen too many Joel Embiid master-class performances (who’s expected to play tonight) to feel as comfortable as the Hornets themselves have looked the past few weeks. Charlotte has made the double-digit win a common theme of late during their active five-game winning streak. Even in important playoff seeding games like the last versus NYK, who is fighting for the second seed and had been on a seven-game win streak.<\/p>\n
The Hornets can show the East they aren’t messing around once more tonight. There’s no use in doubting the Buzz anymore. There are no more “prove it” games. The Hornets have proved they belong.<\/p>\n
Now, with the Philly tiebreaker just in sight and the toughest run of the Hornets’ schedule not slowing down, they need to go and take it. Embiid is talented enough to keep it close against a Charlotte team whose backup is a rookie, but the Hornets are too overwhelming offensively. The Sixers lose in a close one tonight as the Hornets look to remain undefeated on their current seven-game home stand.<\/p>\n
Zachary Roberts: Hornets 114, Suns 109<\/p>\n
This is a must-win game for the Hornets, as they kind of all are now. But with tougher matchups (Knicks, Pistons, Celtics) looming, this is one of the “easier” games left on the schedule, but it won’t be easy. The Suns easily throttled the Hornets in Phoenix earlier this year, so the Hornets are out for revenge. Each game is important for seeding, and I believe that after a few clutch losses in playoff-like atmospheres, they will finally get it done.<\/p>\n
Schuyler Callihan: Hornets 109, Suns 115<\/p>\n
The Suns are a tough matchup for Charlotte, as we witnessed just a few weeks ago out in the desert. They had no answers for their backcourt and couldn’t keep Devin Booker off the line, who went a perfect 15\/15 at the charity stripe. Charlotte has been good collectively on the defensive end all season, but has really had some issues containing some of the league’s elite scorers. If Booker gets into a rhythm early, it’s going to make life easy for Collin Gillespie and Jalen Green to be consistent secondary and tertiary options. Suns squeak out a win, and the Hornets continue to yo-yo in the Eastern Conference standings.<\/p>\n