OKC Thunder Beat Charlotte Hornets 106-94 in Banged-Up Battle

The Thunder picked up its 10th consecutive victory with balanced scoring and quality shot defense.

Dec 28, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Josh Green (10) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) during the first quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder improved to 25-5 by beating the Charlotte Hornets 106-94. The Thunder defense forced 18 turnovers and held Charlotte to 29-for-80 (36.3%) from the field.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 points on 8-for-15 shooting, finishing below 25 points for the first time since Nov. 10 against the Golden State Warriors. He missed five of six 3-point attempts and committed three late turnovers, though the Hornets did not cut their deficit below 10 points. The back-to-back All-Star also contributed six assists, four rebounds, two steals and a block.

Isaiah Hartenstein tallied 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting, 15 rebounds and four assists, putting together a complete performance after early foul trouble. Jalen Williams scored 20 points on 21 shots, six assists, three rebounds and a steal.

Aaron Wiggins, returning to his home state, recorded 17 points — including three triples — on 10 shots, five rebounds, two steals and an assist. Ajay Mitchell finished with an efficient 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Factor	Thunder	Hornets
Points	106	94
Effective FG%	53.4%	43.1%
Turnovers	15	18
Offensive Rebounds	9	8
Free Throws	12-for-14	25-for-28

The Thunder started Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Hartenstein, Wiggins and Mitchell. Luguentz Dort and Cason Wallace missed their first games of the season.

Without LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, the Hornets started Vasilije Micic, Seth Curry, Josh Green, Miles Bridges and Mark Williams.

Hartenstein racked up a layup from Gilgeous-Alexander, an assist to a cutting Wiggins, four rebounds and an illegal screen — which Mark Daigneault challenged and lost — before Charlotte scored its first points. He picked up his third foul seven minutes into the game but played his normal first-half rotation stints.

Twenty-four hours after seeing his jersey retired at Wesleyan Christian Academy, Wiggins scored 10 points in the opening frame on 4-for-5 shooting. Gilgeous-Alexander added nine on six shot attempts to pace the Thunder, who led 28-22 after 12 minutes. Rookie forward Tidjane Salaun buried a 28-foot triple with 0.8 seconds remaining for the Hornets' seventh made field goal.

Bridges made an open triple to start the second quarter after six consecutive first-quarter misses. Jalen Williams responded with his first field goals — a pull-up jumper and cutting layup. Charlotte cut its deficit to three points with 8:06 left in the quarter through Micic, who made back-to-back jump shots.

Jaylin Williams checked in midway through the quarter and knocked down three 3-pointers before halftime. He also drew a charge on a Bridges layup attempt during a 10-2 Thunder run. Isaiah Joe made an acrobatic and-one reverse layup to put Oklahoma City up 10 points. Wiggins converted a three at the halftime buzzer, and the Thunder led 61-46 at the half.

The Hornets scored three corner triples — including two by Green — and two layups in the third quarter's first five minutes. Hartenstein made a floater and executed a steal-and-slam against Micic to restore Oklahoma City's 15-point advantage.

Gilgeous-Alexander missed all four of his 3-point attempts in the third frame, in which his team shot 1-for-14 from downtown. The Thunder still recorded 29 points in the quarter due to efficient 2-point shooting and four steals which led to immediate scores. Oklahoma City maintained a 90-74 lead after three quarters.

The Thunder play the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies in Paycom Center tomorrow at 6 p.m. CST.

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