Charlotte Hornets vs Oklahoma City Thunder Game Preview

The Hornets look to get back on track at home versus the Thunder.

INJURY REPORT:

HORNETS: QUESTIONABLE- Dennis Smith Jr (Ankle) DOUBTFUL - Kelly Oubre Jr (Hand) OUT - Nick Richards (Ankle) Cody Martin (Knee)

THUNDER: OUT - Aleksej Pokusevski (Leg), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Ankle), Ousmane Dieng (Wrist), Chet Holmgren (Foot)

GAME PREVIEW: The Hornets travel back home to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Hornets went 2-4 on the road trip, which started December 18th in Denver and ended on Tuesday at Golden State. This will be the Hornets' first of four home games on this homestand. The Hornets' opponent, the Oklahoma City Thunder has been an exciting team to watch this season, mostly because of the play of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They have struggled on the road with just a 5-11 record, which a stark contrast to what they've been able to do at home. The Hornets having home-court advantage could pay off against a young Thunder squad. The Thunder recently had a key loss last game Aleksej Pokusevski injured his leg. Today, the team released that Pokusevski, who is averaging 8.8 points per game, has a broken left leg and will miss 6-8 weeks. The Thunder have a record of 15-19 on the season and sit in 12th in the Western Conference, just 2.0 games behind the Warriors for the last play-in spot. On the other hand, the Hornets hold a record of 9-26, which matches the Pistons for the least amount of wins this season. The Hornets will look to get win #10 tonight against the Thunder. 

KEY MATCHUP: LaMelo Ball vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Will LaMelo Ball outplay Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tonight? Maybe not, but these two guards should provide a show in Spectrum Center. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been putting up NBA All-Star numbers this season as he's averaging 31.5 points per game, 5.8 assists per game, and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 50.5% from the field. LaMelo Ball has also had a really stellar season as he's averaging 23.5 points per game, 7.5 assists per game, and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 41.7% from the field.

 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also is second in the NBA in 30-point games (21), sitting behind only Luka Doncic (24). The Hornets drafted Gilgeous-Alexander in the 2018 NBA Draft, only to be traded for Miles Bridges and another pick. Alexander could have revenge on his mind tonight against the Hornets. LaMelo has had a couple of rough shooting games (33.3% from the field last two games), but tonight could be the night he gets it going again against opposing guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Position	Charlotte Hornets	Oklahoma City Thunder
Point Guard	LaMelo Ball	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shooting Guard	Terry Rozier	Josh Giddey
Small Forward	Gordon Hayward	Luguentz Dort
Power Forward	PJ Washington	Jalen Williams
Center	Mason Plumlee	Mike Muscala

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