OKC with a must-win game against Charlotte!
Oklahoma and Charlotte have only faced each other once this season and that game ended with a home win for the Hornets to end last year.
Now, however, the visitors are already out of the running for the postseason as the second-to-last team in the East, while the home side, ninth in the West, are still in contention for a play-in spot in their conference.
Oklahoma City Thunder – Statistics & current form
OKC picked up a win in Portland last time out, ending a dip in form with two previous losses in Los Angeles to the Clippers and Lakers. The Midwest hoopsters will also now be looking to the home bonus.
The Sooner State franchise has won almost 60 percent of its 37 home games and its home strength has been particularly pronounced recently with five straight victories. They have also defeated strong opponents such as the Suns from Phoenix on their own turf at the Paycom Center.
Charlotte Hornets – Statistics & current form
For the Hornets, the season is over and actually you can expect that the guests are even already in the mode of “tanking”, so can live with defeats, as this improves the prospects in the upcoming draft. Nevertheless, the visitors beat Dallas twice last time, but the successes were rather due to the very weak form of the Texans at that time.
Furthermore, the personnel situation of Michael Jordan’s franchise is not good: Several regulars such as Terry Rozier or Kelly Oubre Jr. have been absent due to injuries. It is not yet clear whether the two aforementioned top offensive players will be able to return to the court.
Oklahoma City Thunder – Charlotte Hornets Tip
In the showdown between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Charlotte Hornets, the tip aims for a home win with a double-digit advantage. The home side still has a chance of making the play-offs and will be much more motivated as a result.
In addition, OKC have been particularly strong at home recently with five home wins in a row and the personnel situation is more relaxed compared to the visitors. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the hosts also have one of the best guards in the NBA in their ranks.
With an average of 33.1 points in March, the fourth-best scorer in the league has been consistently accurate. In fact, that output represents his monthly record so far this season!