TLDR: Charlotte finally got a win, and they got it with 5 rotation players in street clothes. On Thursday, November 12, they take what's left of that roster to Phoenix to see if the Cavs game was a turn or a one-off.
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Charlotte comes to Phoenix after a 124-112 win over Cleveland that ended a run of lopsided losses, and it got that win without 5 rotation players. Brandon Miller (day-to-day, groin) is the key status to watch. Phoenix has Devin Booker and just routed the Clippers 133-110, but the Suns are also missing Mark Williams and gave up 120-plus in 2 recent home losses.
−Gave up 132 to Portland and 122 to San Antonio at home
−Lost by 26 to the Spurs at home
Look at the Hornets' run before Monday night and you see a team that was getting run off its own floor. They lost by 33 to Detroit and by 39 to Boston at home, and they scored 80 in the Boston game. Then Charlotte hung 78 points on Cleveland over the 2nd and 3rd quarters, led by as many as 33, and held on 124-112. The roster that did it had no Brandon Miller, no Kon Knueppel, no Dennis Schroder, no Grant Williams and no Moussa Diabate. Either that was the bench finding something or it was a short-handed Cavs team having a bad night. A road trip to Phoenix should tell us which.
The injury list is longer than the Hornets would like. Knueppel was diagnosed with a left hamstring strain and will be re-evaluated in 4 weeks. He'd already missed the first 8 games with a preseason hamstring injury, came back against Brooklyn and lasted just under 6 minutes before it went again. Schroder has his own hamstring strain and is out at least 2 weeks. Miller is the one to watch. He's listed day-to-day with a groin issue and missed the Cleveland game. He's been Charlotte's most reliable scorer, so whether he plays changes this matchup more than anything else on the report. There's no line on the board yet, and his status will probably have a lot to do with where it opens.
Phoenix's last 2 games went in opposite directions. San Antonio beat the Suns 122-96 at home. The next night, on the second half of a back-to-back, Phoenix led the Clippers by 11 after 1, 17 at the half and 27 after 3, and won 133-110. Devin Booker came into that game averaging 26.0 points on 48.8% shooting, and he's the reason this offense can bury teams. The Suns' problem has been doing it night after night. In 2 home games they gave up 132 to Portland and 122 to the Spurs.
Phoenix has its own big-man problem. Mark Williams had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder and is out for an extended stretch, so the Suns are thin at center too. That makes the paint fairly even between 2 depleted frontcourts. The difference is on the perimeter. With Knueppel and Schroder both out, Charlotte is short on ball-handlers, and Booker plus Jalen Green is a lot to guard with whoever is left.
Neither club plays again before tipoff at 7:00 PM MT, and both get a day off first. Charlotte has to travel across the country. Phoenix gets a night to recover from the back-to-back at home. These 2 are probably playing for lottery position rather than a playoff seed. Still, both just put up a blowout win, and that makes Thursday more interesting than either record suggests. If Miller plays and the Hornets' bench builds on Monday, Charlotte can keep this close. If not, Booker has an easy night.
Clippers133-110
