After two days of rest, the Thunder struggled to find rhythm in the first half against the Hornets, coming off a tight game against Milwaukee.
Mark Daigneault’s team took several minutes to get going, while Charlotte hit from the arc with Tre Mann (30-30).
It was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren who kept the reigning champions alive. In the second quarter Oklahoma City’s offense showed difficulties, with too many turnovers and little fluidity. The return of SGA changed the momentum, responding to the efforts of Moussa Diabaté and co.
Despite a positive first half from the Hornets, the Thunder managed to finish ahead at halftime (52-55), despite not being in top form.
As expected, when the Thunder accelerated, Charles Lee’s men couldn’t keep up the pace. A run of 10-0 and subsequently a devastating 14-2 split the match (70-87), with Gilgeous-Alexander the absolute protagonist. The fourth quarter didn’t change the story: Oklahoma City controlled until the end, winning their fifth consecutive victory (96-106). SGA’s monstrous performance is worth remembering: 33 points in 29 minutes, with 13/19 from the field and 3/4 from three, without even playing the last quarter. Stephen Curry had joked: “Who doesn’t lose clearly against the Thunder?”. The Hornets held out for a while, but in the long run they succumbed. Ryan Kalkbrenner, usually infallible, finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds, but missed two shots in the final, lowering his unreal average at the start of the season.
