Tip-Off: 6 PM CT
Location: Spectrum Center (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Television: Bally Sports Oklahoma
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live-tweets and discussion during the game
The struggles continue for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Wednesday night’s performance in San Antonio against the Spurs was about as bad as it gets. The season goes on, however, as the Thunder takes on the Charlotte Hornets on the road for the first game of a back-to-back.
The Hornets are 25-20 on the season, and they are currently in 7th place in the East. The Hornets are a solid young squad led by reigning Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball, and he’s got plenty of other contributors around him in Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward, and Terry Rozier.
If the Thunder wants to have a chance to even compete tonight, they’re going to have to get back to their basics of playing solid defense. They couldn’t stop the Spurs for anything on Wednesday, so that’s going to have to be the focus tonight.
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Josh Giddey
- SF: Aaron Wiggins
- PF: Luguentz Dort
- C: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
Hornets
- PG: Terry Rozier
- SG: Cody Martin
- SF: Gordon Hayward
- PF: Miles Bridges
- C: Mason Plumlee
Injuries
Thunder
- Derrick Favors is QUESTIONABLE (sore lower back).
- Vit Krejci is OUT (sprained right ankle).
- Theo Maledon is OUT (G League – on assignment).
- Aleksej Pokusevski is OUT (G League – on assignment).
- Isaiah Roby is OUT (G League – on assignment).
- Paul Watson is OUT (G League – two-way).
Spurs
- Arnoldas Kulboka is OUT (G League — two way).
- Scottie Lewis is OUT (G League — two way).
- P.J. Washington is QUESTIONABLE (right hip contusion).
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 18-6 against the Hornets (9-3 at home, 9-3 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the regular season series against the Hornets 8 times, lost it once, and tied it 5 times.
- The Thunder tied the season series with the Hornets last season (0-1 at home, 1-0 on the road).
- The Thunder had won 5 matchups in a row against the Hornets before losing at home to New Orleans last April.