Charlotte Hornets at Phoenix Suns: What to know about Thursday’s game
9 p.m., Talking Stick Arena
TV: SportSouth. Radio: WFNZ-AM 610.
Projected Starters
Hornets | Suns | |||||
Pos, Player | PPG | RPG | Pos, Player | PPG | RPG | |
F, M. Kidd-Gilchrist | 8.9 | 7.6 | F, T.J. Warren | 13.2 | 4.0 | |
F, Marvin Williams | 11.1 | 5.7 | F, Marquese Chriss | 7.9 | 3.6 | |
C, Frank Kaminsky | 11.4 | 4.8 | C, Alex Len | 7.5 | 6.5 | |
G, Nicolas Batum | 15.1 | 7.0 | G, Devin Booker | 20.9 | 2.8 | |
G Kemba Walker | 22.8 | 5.4 a | G, Eric Bledsoe | 21.3 | 6.4 a | |
Matchup to Watch
Kemba Walker vs. Eric Bledsoe: These undersized point guards – they’re both 6-foot-1 – make their teams go.
Observations
▪ Tyson Chandler, a former Charlotte Bobcats center, leads the Suns with 11.4 rebounds per game. Another key Suns reserve, forward Jared Dudley, was the Bobcats’ 2007 first-round draft choice.
▪ Hornets center Cody Zeller returned after missing six games with quad sorenesss, scoring six points in 19 minutes in a 109-104 victory Tuesday against the Lakers.
▪ Hornets center Miles Plumlee (calf) and guard Ramon Sessions (knee) are out.
Tap-ins
▪ Although Walker averages a healthy 5.4 assists per game, shooting guard Nic Batum actually leads the Hornets in that department (5.9).
▪ Suns forward T.J. Warren, who played at N.C. State, has 11 20-point games this season.
Did you know?
The Hornets’ victory against the Lakers on Tuesday was the 150th of coach Steve Clifford’s career. Only Allan Bristow (207) and Paul Silas (193) have more in franshise history.
David Scott
This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Charlotte Hornets at Phoenix Suns: What to know about Thursday’s game."