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What: Phoenix Suns host Charlotte Hornets
When: 7:00pm AZ Time
Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ
TV: Fox Sports Arizona
Radio: 98.7 FM ArizonaSports
Playing against a team missing a key player or two has been a common theme, but has not yet deterred the Suns from their apparent quest to lose every game from here on out.
The Hornets
This time, the Phoenix Suns host a Charlotte Hornets team already missing center Al Jefferson and small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. They might also be missing star small forward Nicolas Batum (toe).
Yet, the Hornets are still .500 in the tough East and have top-11 offense and defense on the season. Batum has helped their resurgence after being traded from the Blazers in a proactive house cleaning this summer as they prepped to lose LaMarcus Aldridge.
The Hornets are a tough team no matter who plays, and are led by recently-extended Steve Clifford. Clifford had entered the season on the last of his contract that mirrors the Suns' Jeff Hornacek's, but was quickly extended right after the season started. Hornacek never got that luxury.
Hey, at least the Hornets don't have any former Suns players to haunt them!
The Suns
They went bowling. And the Cavaliers went 33-9 after THEY went bowling a year ago. So clearly the Suns are about to turn the corner.
Or not.
The Suns, already without Eric Bledsoe for the season, have struggled to find any footing lately and likely won't appreciate the difficult schedule that faces them this month. They are already punted two of the five games they had against winning teams this month (Kings and Lakers), so now face a January schedule that's got nine .500+ teams on the slate versus only three losing teams.
Ugh.
Let's see who shows up tonight for the Suns.
Prediction
Suns lose. Probably by a lot more than they should.
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Sorry this is a short preview, Suns fans. But I've decided to put in the same amount of effort in this preview as the Suns put in this past weekend against the Kings and Lakers.