Suns vs. Hornets: Miles Bridges returns to face former team Phoenix

The Phoenix Suns host the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night in a game built around the summer trade that sent Miles Bridges to Phoenix. It is Bridges' first time facing his former team, while Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale make their first returns to the Valley since being traded to Charlotte.

Familiar faces and a short-handed Charlotte side

Allen and O'Neale were sent to the Hornets in the same summer deal that brought Bridges to the Suns. Their return adds a rivalry edge, and one preview noted that the trash talk is likely to flow, particularly if Allen picks up a hard foul, as he has done before.

Charlotte arrives shorthanded. Brandon Miller is listed as out, and Kon Knueppel is also out with a hamstring injury. Moussa Diabate has missed back-to-back games but is listed as probable. Dennis Schroder also sat out the Hornets' most recent game.

The Hornets have struggled to score this season. They average a league-worst 98.8 points per game and rank 30th in offensive rating through the first three weeks. Their best offensive showing came on Monday, when they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 124 points to a number that one outlet did not specify, a game in which Miller, Schroder and Knueppel did not play.

Phoenix looks to build momentum at home

The Suns have had an uneven start to the 2026-27 season. They beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday for their fourth win, and their bench was praised for its strongest showing of the season in that game.

Phoenix has been much stronger at home, going 4-3 there compared with 0-3 on the road through 10 games. Sports Illustrated Betting noted that the Suns have struggled to match last season's defensive level, and Phoenix is still ranked 28th in defensive rating, according to Bright Side Of The Sun.

Devin Booker has been playing his best basketball over the last five games, according to Bright Side Of The Sun, and the Suns rank sixth in the league in three-point percentage and assists. Oddsmakers list Charlotte as a road underdog.

Rebounding and three-point shooting could decide it

Charlotte leads the league in three-point attempts and offensive rebounds per game. Those are the areas where Phoenix has graded out poorly on defence this year, and the Hornets' ability to hit from deep and crash the offensive glass could keep the game close.

Sports Illustrated Betting described Phoenix as the worst rebounding team in the league by rebound percentage, which makes Diabate's board numbers a focus for that outlet's prop pick. Grayson Allen and Naz Reid combined for 52 points in Charlotte's win over Cleveland, and Coby White is another player the Suns will need to contain.

What next

The Suns have a home stretch ahead, and a win would give them a chance to start a winning run after a slow opening. Bright Side Of The Sun expects Phoenix to pull away late in the third quarter, though the outcome is not certain in the NBA. Phoenix next hosts the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, according to the same outlet.

Miles Bridges' return to Phoenix and the first games for Allen and O'Neale in their former home will be the main storylines when the teams meet.