Game Preview: Charlotte Hornets return to action against the Oklahoma City Thunder

After the Christmas break, the Charlotte Hornets look to come out with a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at home.

Losers of their last three, the Charlotte Hornets (13-20) certainly needed a break to sort things out. They’ll be back at it Friday night in Charlotte as they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (15-15).

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The Hornets haven’t faced off against the Thunder this season, but Oklahoma City has dominated the series as of late, including a strand of 11 straight wins over Charlotte dating back to the beginning of the decade.

The Thunder are sporting a slightly different look this year, though, as they traded away their two superstars, Paul George and Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets, respectively.

They’re still playing well, however, and are currently contending for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. A large part of that is due to the success of former Hornets first-round pick, Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander, who is averaging just over 19 points a game in his second year in the league.

He’s not the only one playing well, though, as the Thunder have five players averaging double figures in scoring. This could prove to be just as difficult as in the past for Charlotte, even though most didn’t have the Thunder as viable contenders coming into the season.

Charlotte’s last game was a 119-93 loss to the Boston Celtics. They are currently at the 9th spot in the Eastern Conference. Oklahoma City’s last outing was a 110-97 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. They are 7th in the West. This is the first of two meetings between these two teams.

Charlotte Hornets vs Oklahoma City Thunder
7:00 p.m. EST, Friday, December 27th, 2019
Spectrum Center
Fox Sports Southeast

Stream: Fubo.tv

Injury Report:

CHA:

P.J. Washington – Finger (Probable)

OKC:

Danilo Gallinari – Ankle (Out)

Andre Roberson – Knee (Out)

Hamidou Diallo – Elbow (Out)

Things to watch for:

This will be the second of a back-to-back for the Thunder and that certainly helps a well-rested Hornets team. Hopefully, they can capitalize, especially with those injuries OKC has sustained. This seems to be tailor-made for a Hornets win.

Speaking of injuries, P.J. Washington has a good shot at playing and that is very good news for the guys in purple and teal. They’ve definitely missed his services over the past few games. Hopefully, that finger is healed so he can come back and help the team.

Keys to the game:

The Thunder are pretty efficient from the field, shooting 47% overall, good enough for 5th in the NBA. Most of that comes from inside the three-point line, however, as the Thunder shoot just 35% from behind the arc, ranking them just 18th in three-point field goal percentage. Charlotte’s defense has been better as of late, but it’s best not to underestimate anyone, especially if you’re the Hornets.

OKC’s opponents shoot the 4th fewest free-throws in the league. As many fans know, Charlotte is not the most efficient at the charity stripe, so if they do manage to get to the line, they must sink their free-throws. Perhaps a little home-cooking could help the good guys, but that is highly doubtful.

Although Christmas has passed, the Charlotte Hornets can still give their fans a nice gift. They’ll have to play at their best to do do that, though. Here’s hoping they can unwrap a win Friday night at the hive.