Charlotte Hornets (10-36, 13th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (33-15, second in the Western Conference)
Oklahoma City; Friday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Charlotte enters the matchup with Oklahoma City as losers of five games in a row.
The Thunder have gone 18-6 at home. Oklahoma City is fourth in the league with 120.4 points and is shooting 50.1% from the field.
The Hornets are 5-18 on the road. Charlotte averages 13.1 turnovers per game and is 4-17 when committing fewer turnovers than opponents.
The Thunder's 12.9 made 3-pointers per game this season are only 0.8 fewer made shots on average than the 13.7 per game the Hornets give up. The Hornets average 108.6 points per game, 4.0 fewer than the 112.6 the Thunder give up.
TOP PERFORMERS: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is scoring 31.3 points per game with 5.6 rebounds and 6.4 assists for the Thunder. Chet Holmgren is averaging 12.3 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting 43.2% over the past 10 games for Oklahoma City.
Brandon Miller is scoring 15.3 points per game and averaging 3.9 rebounds for the Hornets. Miles Bridges is averaging 22.8 points and 8.4 rebounds over the last 10 games for Charlotte.
LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 6-4, averaging 112.6 points, 41.9 rebounds, 25.3 assists, 8.1 steals and 6.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.9 points per game.
Hornets: 2-8, averaging 107.4 points, 40.9 rebounds, 25.4 assists, 5.7 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.3 points.
INJURIES: Thunder: Jalen Williams: out (ankle), Isaiah Joe: out (sternum).
Hornets: LaMelo Ball: out (ankle), Gordon Hayward: out (calf), Mark Williams: out (back).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
