The Phoenix Suns will attempt to secure back-to-back wins for the first time in more than a month when they welcome the sputtering Charlotte Hornets to town on Friday.
Charlotte dropped its ninth straight on Thursday, falling in the first leg of a road back-to-back set with a 133-112 decision against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Hornets center Nick Richards recorded his third consecutive double-double and fourth in his past five outings, going for 11 points and 10 rebounds.
“He’s playing great,” Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said to Bally Sports following the Thursday loss. “His basket protection, his pick-and-roll defense, his organization in the back of the defense (is) terrific.”
Richards has been in the starting lineup the last nine games, with Mark Williams sidelined due to a back injury. Williams is listed as day-to-day.
All five Hornets starters scored in double figures vs. the Lakers, led by Miles Bridges with 20 points. However, Bridges shot just 7-for-20 from the floor and 3-for-10 from inside the 3-point arc.
The contest in Phoenix will be the third in a six-game road swing for the Hornets. Charlotte opened its expedition on Tuesday with a 113-104 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Phoenix, meanwhile, snapped a three-game skid with its 129-113 win at Houston on Wednesday. The victory was Phoenix’s first away from home since a 116-113 defeat of the New York Knicks on Nov. 26, which was also the last game in a seven-game winning streak for the Suns.
Phoenix has not won back-to-back contests since then.
The Suns dropped nine of 12 overall between their wins on Nov. 26 and Wednesday, averaging 110.8 points in those dozen games. Phoenix averages 115 points per game for the season.
Against the Rockets, a balanced attack powered the Suns to their highest-scoring output since Nov. 19. Kevin Durant and Eric Gordon each scored 27 points, while Devin Booker added 20 points and Grayson Allen chipped in 16.
Durant also contributed 16 assists and 10 rebounds for his first triple-double of the season.
“Good carryover from the way we played offensively,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said postgame. “We learn lessons from the wins and losses, but we learned how effective we can be offensively when we share the ball like we did against Dallas and carried it over into (Wednesday).”
In a 128-114 Christmas Day loss to the visiting Mavericks, Allen scored 32 points, Chimezie Metu came off the bench for 23 and Booker finished with 20 points and 10 assists. Phoenix registered 28 assists on 40 field goals.
The Suns will look to continue rolling on offense against a Charlotte defense allowing 121 points per game. The 133 points the Hornets surrendered to the Lakers tied the third most Charlotte has allowed this season.
Meanwhile, the Hornets’ 110.2-point average ranks No. 26 in the league. Since losing LaMelo Ball to an ankle injury on Nov. 26, Charlotte is averaging 106.1 points in 14 games, and it failed to reach 100 points in four of those contests.
Ball was averaging 24.7 points and 8.2 assists per game at the time of his injury. Charlotte’s active leading scorer, Terry Rozier, is posting 22.6 points per game. Durant’s 30.2 points per game pace Phoenix.
–Field Level Media