Game Preview
The Oklahoma City Thunder roll into Charlotte riding a 9-game winning streak and sporting an impressive 24-5 record on the season. Their recent dominance has been fueled by a blistering offensive attack that's averaging 116.8 points over their last 10 games while shooting a scorching 46.8 percent from the field. The Thunder's balanced scoring punch has been complemented by a stifling defense that's holding opponents to just 104.1 points per contest during that same stretch.
At the heart of Oklahoma City's success is their ability to control the boards, grabbing 46.3 rebounds per game over their last 10 outings. This rebounding prowess has fueled their transition game, leading to easy baskets and open looks from beyond the arc, where they're knocking down 35.1 percent of their three-point attempts. The Thunder have also done an excellent job of taking care of the ball, committing just 10.3 turnovers per game during their torrid 10-game run.
In stark contrast, the Charlotte Hornets find themselves mired in a 6-game skid and sporting a dismal 7-23 record on the season. Their recent struggles can be directly attributed to a porous defense that's allowing a whopping 115.8 points per game over their last 5 outings. The Hornets' inability to get stops has put immense pressure on their offense, which has sputtered to the tune of 106.2 points per game while shooting a lackluster 44.5 percent from the field during that same span.
Adding to Charlotte's woes is their struggles on the glass, where they've been outrebounded by a wide margin in recent games, grabbing just 45.6 boards over their last 5 contests. This has led to easy second-chance points for their opponents and forced the Hornets to expend extra energy on the defensive end. Unless Charlotte can find a way to shore up their interior defense and crash the boards with more consistency, their losing ways are likely to continue against the red-hot Thunder.