Suns vs Hornets Odds, Picks & Predictions | NBA Betting Preview (Friday, March 15)

Here's everything you need to know about Suns vs. Hornets on Friday, Mar. 15 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today's game.

The Phoenix Suns will continue their road trip with a stop in Charlotte to face the Hornets on Friday evening, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. ET on NBA League Pass. The Suns won the last matchup in Phoenix 133-119, but the Hornets covered the 15.5-point spread. The Suns have dominated the matchup between these two, with that last game serving as the first time Charlotte was able to cover against Phoenix since March 28, 2021.

This time around, the Suns vs Hornets odds have Phoenix as just a 9.5-point favorite (-9.5), with the total set at over/under 217.5 at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Let's get to our Suns vs Hornets prediction and Suns vs Hornets pick.

Pick: Hornets +9.5 (1u) | Royce O'Neale Over 1.5 3s Made (.5u)

The Suns are coming off a big game against the Celtics, who handed Phoenix a wire-to-wire loss, 127-112.

Grayson Allen was the best thing for Phoenix on Thursday, going 8-of-9 from the field with his lone miss coming from one of his five 3-point attempts. Allen has been on fire lately, averaging 15 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.7 3s per game. Against a team like Charlotte that gives up a lot of 3s, his points could be a good look depending on where his line is set.

The Hornets give up the seventh-most 3s in the league and the seventh-highest percentage from 3.

One Suns player who generally goes under the radar, but could see a benefit from a lack of perimeter play is Royce O’Neale. He’s struggled to shoot it lately and failed to go over his recent 3s line of 1.5, but he’s getting volume and minutes.

Even with the cold streak, O'Neale is averaging 2.1 3s per game since joining Phoenix and he’s averaging six attempts per game. His 34.5% mark from distance is not an elite clip, but he’s due for positive regression, and a team that gives up a high volume and percentage like the Hornets is a great get-right spot for him.

Despite their difficulty stopping the 3, the Hornets have played solid defense lately. They have the third-best Defensive Rating since the trade deadline and the market hasn’t quite caught up to this version of the Hornets. Since its acquisitions 15 games ago, Charlotte is 9-6 against the spread.

The Hornets may not have the ability to stop the 3, but that shouldn’t put them at too much of a disadvantage against the Suns, who shoot 34% of their shots from deep, just 22nd in the NBA.

Almost all of the Hornets’ new additions have contributed positively. Grant Williams is irritating on defense and should be able to give enough trouble to some of the Suns’ Big 3; he has also stepped up his role as a primary scorer with Charlotte.

Vasilije Micić has done a good job running the offense and has exceeded his assists line in three straight games.

Based on the recent play for both teams, I like the Hornets to keep this within single digits at home, where they’re 4-2 straight up and ATS. Assuming there aren’t any unforeseen injuries, I like this down to +8 for the Hornets.

I also like O’Neale to bounce back in this game and exceed his line of 1.5 3s at -120 odds or better against a team that values rim protection over perimeter defense.

Pick: Hornets +9.5 (1u) | Royce O'Neale Over 1.5 3s Made (.5u)

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