CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Oklahoma City Thunder secured their 10th consecutive win in the regular season by defeating the Charlotte Hornets 106-94 on Saturday evening. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the scoring for the Thunder with 22 points, while teammate Jalen Williams contributed with 20 points. Aaron Wiggins also made a notable impact with 17 points, and Isaiah Hartenstein achieved a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Throughout the game, the Thunder maintained control, never falling behind their opponents.

For Charlotte, Miles Bridges recorded a double-double of his own with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Vasa Micic added 16 points. However, it has been a challenging period for the Hornets, as they have now lost 15 of their last 16 games. Both teams were missing several key players; Charlotte was without LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, while Oklahoma City played without Luguentz Dort and Cason Wallace.

The Thunder quickly established a dominant position, leading 61-46 by halftime. Gilgeous-Alexander and Wiggins were particularly effective, combining for 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting before the break. This momentum continued, as Oklahoma City expanded their lead to as much as 20 points in the third quarter, and they faced little resistance as they cruised to victory.

One takeaway from the match was that while it wasn’t the Thunder’s most exceptional performance of the season, they successfully maintained a significant lead without lowering their intensity against a struggling opponent. For the Hornets, the absence of key players like Ball and Miller heavily impacted their offensive capability. Throughout the game, Micic and Bridges took on the responsibility of leading the offense, but despite some opportunities to narrow the gap late in the game, the Hornets were unable to convert enough shots.

A pivotal moment occurred when the Hornets trimmed the deficit to 11 points with 10 minutes remaining. Kenrich Williams quickly responded with a layup assisted by Ajay Mitchell, effectively extinguishing Charlotte’s hopes of a comeback.

On key stats, with Ball and Miller unavailable, Bridges needed to step up significantly. Unfortunately, he struggled from beyond the three-point line, hitting only 1 of 8 attempts.

Looking ahead, the Thunder will host the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night as part of a back-to-back schedule, while the Hornets will prepare to face the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.