The Charlotte Hornets take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday at 7 p.m. est. This should be a game where the Hornets can easily take care of business but we have learned that with this team, it’s never that simple.
The Hornets enter this game coming off of a massive victory in Boston against the Celtics. Charlotte led for just about the entire game but it came down to the wire with the Hornets winning 111-102. Charlotte had some big-time performances from Terry Rozier (28 points and10 assists), LaMelo Ball (15 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds), Miles Bridges (22 points and 7 rebounds), and Kelly Oubre Jr. (18 points off the bench).
This game evens the season series at one apiece with the Celtics who are sure to be direct competition for a top-six playoff seed.
On the other side of the court, the Thunder enters tonight’s matchup on a three-game losing streak, falling most recently to the San Antonio Spurs, 118-96. With a record of14-30, this should be a team that the 25-20 Hornets can easily handle, but the recent loss to the worst team in the NBA, the Orlando Magic, should still be fresh on their minds as they enter this one.
Charlotte Hornets odds vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Hornets enter tonight’s game as 9-point favorites against the Thunder, according to WynnBET. Charlotte should be able to cover this, this is a game where the rookies should be able to play the entire fourth quarter. However, we have said that plenty of times before, and it always seems like these types of games are closer than they need to be.
Streaming info for Charlotte Hornets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
TV: Bally Sports Southeast
Radio: WFNZ 610
Storylines for Charlotte Hornets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
The theme of this article is the Hornets playing to the skill level of their opponents. Charlotte is without a doubt the far better team and they need to show that tonight. If the Hornets are serious playoff contenders they need to handle business against the bottom teams in the league or they will find themselves in the Play-In tournament or worse.
The defensive renaissance in Charlotte is an interesting one. In the Boston Celtics preview, I noted how no one would believe the Hornets had the fourth-best defensive rating in their last 10 games. Well get this, they have the best defensive rating (102.8) in the entire NBA over the last two weeks, according to StatMuse. That’s a short period, but it’s something we should all monitor. Defense is still very much a weakness on this team, but whatever they’re doing is working for now and should be praised.
Injury Report for Charlotte Hornets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Hornets:
PJ Washington (hip) – QUESTIONABLE
Thunder:
Derrick Favors (back) – QUESTIONABLE
As always, check our Twitter for live game updates and come back to the site afterward for post-game content.