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Posted at 12:30 PM EST

PHOENIX -8½ -102 over Charlotte

8:05 PM EST. This number jumped right off the board when we saw it, thus prompting an investigation. How can a team like Phoenix be favored in this range? For some reference, in a game against the putrid Knickerbockers on January 3, the Suns were a seven-point choice. Charlotte is clearly better than the Knicks but the Suns are priced higher today. Again, we ask why. In the three games that followed that Knicks game, the Suns lost outright to Memphis (121-114) as -6½ point chalk, were downed 114-103 by the Kings also as a -6½ point choice and finally, the Suns did not cover the -4½ point spread in a 98-94 win over the Magic. To add insult to injury, the Suns blew double-digit leads to both the Grizzlies and the Kings. Phoenix was also down four with a minute to go against Orlando and needed a pair of Devin Booker three-pointers to take the lead to win that game. In addition to recent results, the Suns (15-23) have a nearly identical record to these Hornets (15-26), which is also likely to raise some eyebrows when spotting this significant price is considered.

The Hornets are not a good basketball team, but do they deserve to be taking back more points against the Suns than the Knicks? The books think so and so and as is often the case, the line will dictate the play here, as this is the largest price the Suns have been asked to spot this season. You might have to go back to the days of Steve Nash to find a time when the Suns were laying this kind of lumber. The dog has plenty of appeal here with recent OT losses to both Toronto and Dallas by two and three points, respectively. You want some more fodder as to how ridiculous this number appears on the surface? The Hornets were just a 2½-point dog at home to the defending champions. Does a change of venue and a downgrade in competition really dictate a change in price such as this? The Charlotte Hornets look like compete fool’s gold today and it’s for that reason that the chalk must be played.

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