Inside The Thunder

OKC Thunder Secure Wire-To-Wire Victory Against Hornets, Surpass Last Season's Win Total

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points in three quarters to spearhead a dominant offensive performance.

Ethan Baca

Mar 21, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) blocks a shot by Charlotte Hornets guard Nick Smith Jr. (8) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Mar 21, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) blocks a shot by Charlotte Hornets guard Nick Smith Jr. (8) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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The Oklahoma City Thunder won the first quarter by 20 points and never trailed in a 141-106 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night, good for its third-most single-game points. The Thunder improved to 58-12, exceeding the 2023-24 team's 57 wins with 12 remaining games, and is now 26-1 against the Eastern Conference.

Oklahoma City knocked down 21 3-pointers — its sixth time making 20 or more this season. All 13 Thunder players who received playing time scored, and eight finished with double-digit points.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander registered 30 points on 13-for-18 shooting, nine assists, six rebounds and a steal in 30 minutes. He sat out the entire fourth quarter as Oklahoma City maintained an overwhelming lead.

Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Joe and Jaylin Williams each scored 14 points. They combined for 12 rebounds, five assists and five 3-point makes.

Statistic

Thunder

Hornets

Points

141

106

2-Pointers

33-for-55

18-for-39

3-Pointers

21-for-39

19-for-41

Free Throws

12-for-17

13-for-13

Turnovers

7

16

Offensive Rebounds

10

6

The Thunder started Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins.

The Hornets started KJ Simpson, Josh Green, DaQuan Jeffries, Miles Bridges and Jusuf Nurkic.

Gilgeous-Alexander drained a turnaround jumper to put Oklahoma City on the board 90 seconds into the game. Wallace then stripped Simpson near the half-court line and threw down an uncontested two-handed dunk — setting a defensive tone that lasted throughout the quarter. The Thunder held Charlotte to 5-for-20 shooting while forcing six turnovers in the first frame.

The home team racked up 25 points in the quarter's final 6:42. Gilgeous-Alexander scored or assisted on 20 during that stretch, which began with a left-handed finger roll and step-back 3-pointer. He found Kenrich Williams and Wiggins for back-to-back threes minutes later, extending the Thunder's lead to 14 points. Jaylin Williams nailed a no-dip triple and assisted Kenrich Williams on a running 29-footer at the buzzer. Oklahoma City led 34-14 after 12 minutes.

After missing two straight 2-pointers on its first two second-quarter possessions, Charlotte caught fire with three consecutive triples — including a wide-open Nurkic make — and shot 9-for-14 from downtown in the frame. All nine threes were assisted, and Green, Jeffries and Smith Jr. each drilled multiple before halftime. The Hornets scored more points in the second quarter's first four minutes than the whole first quarter.

The Thunder, however, withstood its opponent's hot shooting by generating quality offense with or without Gilgeous-Alexander in the game. Oklahoma City scored on seven of eight trips to start the second quarter, getting downhill for three layups and shooting six free throws. A two-and-a-half minute scoring drought midway through the period ended with Gilgeous-Alexander's first and only free throws of the night. He made another mid-range jumper and finger roll before finding Wiggins for a driving dunk, as the Thunder led 66-49 after two quarters.

Charlotte continued to fire away from deep, draining four of five 3-pointers after the break, but Oklahoma City scored 18 straight points from 7:44 to 4:30 to blow the game open. Holmgren and Gilgeous-Alexander nailed consecutive triples, Wallace banked in a tough floater and Gilgeous-Alexander converted a transition layup through Simpson to force a Hornets timeout. Hartenstein then made three layups on four possessions as the Thunder built a 28-point advantage.

Oklahoma City won the third quarter 37-27 and the fourth quarter 36-28.

The Thunder heads to Los Angeles to play the No. 7 Clippers this Sunday, March 23 at 8 p.m. CST.

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Ethan Baca
ETHAN BACA

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