OKC Thunder routed by the Charlotte Hornets 98-121

The OKC Thunder fall to the Charlotte Hornets 98-121, making it the team’s fourth loss in a row. The Thunder are now 1-11 in 2022. This win also marks the third victory in a row for the Hornets. Combined with the Philadelphia 76ers’ heartbreaking loss to the LA Clippers, the Hornets are now only half a game behind the Sixers for the sixth seed in the East.

Charlotte cruised to victory in this game. After the Thunder’s first basket, the Hornets stayed ahead for the rest of the night, with the lead growing steadily. The Hornets showed the difference in their star power and depth. Miles Bridges, Terry Rozier, and PJ Washington all logged over 20 points and LaMelo Ball almost notched his fifth career triple-double (ten points, eight assists, nine rebounds).

Although Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 22 points in the first half, OKC still trailed 52-69. The game did not get much better from there in the second half. OKC did try their best to stay within 15 points of Charlotte in the third quarter but ultimately fell apart in the fourth.

The OKC Thunder had the worst of both worlds in this game, with soft defense as well as a toothless offense. The well-oiled machine of the Hornets regularly found easy layups and dunks. They seemed to always find open 3-pointers, and on another night could have punished the Thunder even more. The Hornets shot 17 of 49 (34.7%) from three to Thunder’s 12 of 44 (27%).

From OKC’s perspective, there are a few key takeaways from the game.

Key takeaways for OKC Thunder versus Hornets

Rookie of the Year candidate Josh Giddey finally broke through the 20-point mark with a new career-high 21-points. He had his trademark floater working this game, shooting 4-of-5 from floater range, and remained efficient around the basket. The 19-year-old is showing he can be efficient on the offensive end after a poor showing against the Spurs a couple of nights ago.

This game marks the start of Mamadi Diakite’s second 10-day contract. The 25-year-old Guinea native originally signed a hardship contract for the OKC Thunder due to the team being hit with health and safety protocol absences. He played 12 minutes in the contest and actually had the best plus-minus for the Thunder tonight (he was -1, but it still counts).

Aaron Wiggins returned home to North Carolina in this game with a relatively quiet five points on 2-of-8 shooting. Wiggins continues to be head Coach Mark Daigneault’s preferred choice to start on the wing over Darius Bazley who also struggled offensively tonight.

Luguentz Dort struggled, shooting 1-of-7 from the field including a poor open layup. Expect this to be a blip as Dort continues his offensive refinement.

OKC continues their road trip with the second half of their back-to-back against the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight.