3 Takeaways From OKC Thunder’s 10th Straight Victory

The Thunder took care of business in Charlotte to extend their win streak to double figures.

Dec 28, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) drives to the basket against Charlotte Hornets forward Tidjane Salaun (31) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

No one can stop the Thunder right now, and the shorthanded Hornets were no different.

Oklahoma City won in Charlotte 106-94 to earn its 10th straight win and remain undefeated against the East this season. While the Thunder were missing a few key pieces, Charlotte’s absences of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller kept the Hornets from making the game competitive.

Quickly taking a double-digit lead in the first quarter, Oklahoma City was in control throughout its wire-to-wire win. After leading by 15 at halftime, the Thunder continued to roll, leading by as much as 20 in the third quarter.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was once again the Thunder’s top scorer, pouring in 22 points and making seven of his nine shots from inside the arc. 

Let’s dive into three lessons that can be learned from yesterday’s game.

Dec 28, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) on defense against Charlotte Hornets guard Isaiah Wong (21) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Aaron Wiggins is finding his groove 

After getting his high school jersey retired back at home on Friday, Wiggins came out and shined in his lone game in North Carolina this season. He scored eight of the Thunder’s first 12 points and helped his team take a commanding lead in the opening minutes.

Wiggins finished the night with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, making three shots from beyond the arc. He also finished a game-high +18 in 33 minutes, his most playing time in a game this season.

His minute total made sense, considering the Thunder were shorthanded, with Wiggins making his ninth start of the season and first since late November. With his playing time steadily decreasing in December, Wiggins’ performance in Charlotte showed he is still more than capable of making a significant impact for the Thunder on any given night.

Ajay Mitchell continues to impress

Along with injuries paving the way for Wiggins’ first start in over a month, Mitchell also slotted into the first five to make his first career start. As with every other challenge Mark Daigneault has thrown at him in his rookie season, Mitchell shined.

He finished the night with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes. Despite having increased ball-handling duties, Mitchell also finished with only one turnover. 

With his ninth double-digit scoring game on Saturday, Mitchell has continually shown his ability to find his spots and find success when he gets on the floor. As such a reliable player only 30 games into his career, Mitchell has proven to be a key piece on the best team in the West.

OKC’s shooting is only a problem if the defense fails

Throughout the season, Oklahoma City’s dropoff from beyond the arc has been the most concerning trend. After leading the league in 3-point shooting percentage last season, the Thunder rank in the bottom half of the league through the first 30 games in 2024-25.

On Saturday, the Thunder’s outside shooting concerns continued, making only 10 of their 38 shots from outside. While the Thunder will likely need to shoot better to achieve their championship goals, their defense is more than capable of picking up the slack. 

Charlotte shot only 11-of-34 from beyond the arc and 29-of-80 from the floor overall. Also forcing 18 turnovers, the Thunder’s defense shut down Charlotte on a night they struggled to put up big numbers on offense. Obviously, the Thunder don’t want to have bad shooting nights, but as long as those nights come with a good defensive performance, the Thunder should be in good shape.

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Not every convincing win is going to be flashy, and the Thunder have shown they can win in a variety of ways. With so many key players out on both sides in Charlotte, the Thunder simply took care of business.

They will look to continue their hot streak on Sunday when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on the second night of a back-to-back.

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