The Oklahoma City Thunder were without Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe on Wednesday as they hosted the Denver Nuggets, but Nikola Jokic was out for Denver, so neither team was exactly at full strength. Still, it was a good game from start to finish with neither team leading by 13 points. In the end, it was OKC that was able to knock down shots down the stretch, a nice change of pace after failing to do so in crunch time against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
Now the Thunder hosts an opponent on the other end of the standings: the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are just 10-36 on the season, and they own the league’s worst average scoring margin at -11.7. The Thunder is a heavy favorite, and they should be, so as long as OKC plays defense at the level they have the last couple of games, then scoring should come quite easy.
Tip-Off: 7 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Television: KSBI Ch. 52 OKC, Ch 6.3 Tulsa (COX Ch. 7 OKC, Ch. 53 Tulsa)
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, Charlotte Hornets Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Josh Giddey
- SF: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Kenrich Williams
- C: Chet Holmgren
Charlotte Hornets
- PG: Bryce McGowens
- SG: Cody Martin
- SF: Brandon Miller
- PF: Miles Bridges
- C: Nick Richards
Injury Report
Thunder
- Isaiah Joe is OUT (sternum contusion).
- Jalen Williams is OUT (sprained right ankle).
Hornets
- Amari Bailey is OUT (G League — two-way).
- LaMelo Ball is DOUBTFUL (right ankle tendinopathy).
- Gordon Hayward is OUT (strained left calf).
- Mark Williams is OUT (lower back injury recovery).
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 18-10 against the Hornets (9-5 at home, 9-5 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 3 times, and tied it 5 times.
- The Thunder went 0-2 against the Hornets last season (0-1 at home, 0-1 on the road).