Injury Report, Updated Odds (10/15): Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Charlotte Hornets

OKC will play its third preseason game of the new NBA season on Sunday afternoon when the team takes on the Hornets, a squad full of young prospects.

On Sunday afternoon, the Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. 

This meeting will be the third preseason game for both teams, who are at seemingly opposite portions of their rebuilding cycle.

This season, the Hornets had the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft after a lackluster season that saw LaMelo Ball miss the majority of the year with an injury. If Ball is able to stay healthy this season, Charlotte should be in much better shape, as the former All-Star point guard is still young and led his team to a Play-In berth just two years ago.

With their top pick in the 2023 draft, the Hornets selected Brandon Miller, a high-level wing prospect from Alabama who should get plenty of run against the Thunder on Sunday evening. In addition to Miller, Charlotte added former 5-star recruits Amari Bailey and Nick Smith Jr. later in the draft, both of whom also have the potential to develop into solid NBA players. 

With both of the aforementioned rookies and a handful of other talented young prospects, it will be interesting to see what a young Hornets team looks like against another young team in the Thunder.

Jaylin Williams and Aaron Wiggins / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Injury Report: 

Thunder:

• Aleksej Pokusevski, OUT (Right Ankle Sprain)
• Victor Oladipo, OUT (Knee)
• Kenrich Williams, OUT (Back Spasms)
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OUT (Rest)
• Lu Dort, OUT (Rest)
• Chet Holmgren, OUT (Rest)
• Josh Giddey, OUT (Rest)
• Jalen Williams, OUT (Rest)
• Isaiah Joe, OUT (Rest)

Hornets:

• Gordon Hayward, OUT (Right Foot Discomfort)
• Theo Maledon, OUT (Shoulder)
• James Bouknight, OUT (Knee)
• Leaky Black, OUT (Ankle)
• Cody Martin, OUT (Knee)

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If Bertans and Williams don't play on Sunday, OKC's matchup with the Hornets will feature plenty of Chet Holmgren, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Olivier Sarr in the center spot for the Thunder. With Mark Williams, Nick Richards and PJ Washington all seemingly active for Charlotte, Oklahoma City will have to fend off multiple physical, talented young big men. 

Richards and Williams both weigh more than 240 pounds, which could create issues for Holmgren, who is only 208 pounds. If the rookie center is able to hold up well defensively against the Hornets duo, it will be a great indication that Holmgren's weight will not be as big of an obstacle as some of his detractors believed it would be.

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Updated Odds:

Currently, OKC is a 2.5-point favorite over the Hornets. 

If the Thunder were at full strength, the line would likely be higher than just 2.5. Without Bertans shooting and Wiggins' defense leading the second unit, however, Oklahoma City is much more vulnerable in the preseason.

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