Following their small-margin victory against the Indiana Pacers Thursday night with a score of 120-114, the Oklahoma City Thunder continue their road trip within the Eastern Conference as they look to face off against yet another All-Star caliber point guard.
Despite the Hornets placing 13th in the East, the Thunder are entering this matchup with some key injuries that could make this game closer than it should be.
Time and Location:
The OKC Thunder will take on the Charlotte Hornets today, Dec. 28, in the Spectrum Center at 6:00 PM EST/5:00 PM CST as well as on FanDuel Sports Network – Oklahoma.
Lineups
Due to the key injuries, here is what the Thunder may have as their starting five:
| Position: | Name: | Number: |
| Point Guard | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 2 |
| Shooting Guard | Isaiah Joe | 11 |
| Small Forward | Aaron Wiggins | 21 |
| Power Forward | Jalen Williams | 8 |
| Center | Isaiah Hartenstein | 55 |
As for the Hornets, here is what they will potentially look like:
| Position: | Name: | Number: |
| Point Guard | LaMelo Ball | 1 |
| Shooting Guard | Josh Green | 10 |
| Small Forward | Brandon Miller | 24 |
| Power Forward | Miles Bridges | 0 |
| Center | Mark Williams | 5 |
Injuries
For the Thunder, Lu Dort has suffered a right ankle sprain and Cason Wallace has suffered a left quad contusion. With these two guys being key starters all season and playing high-level defense, OKC will have to have others step into bigger roles.
Chet Holmgren (hip) and Nikola Topic (ACL) are listed as out as well while Alex Caruso (hip) and Branden Carlson (concussion) are listed as day-to-day.
When it comes to Charlotte, former Thunder guard Tre Mann is out with a back injury and Grant Williams is out with an ACL injury.
What to know
So far this season, Lu Dort has averaged nearly ten points a game to go along with 4.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 39% three-point shooting. For Cason Wallace, he has been putting up. 6.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Missing these key players will definitely hurt the Thunder, as they provided valuable lockdown defense and great shooting. If the Thunder have learned anything this season, however, it is how to play through the injury bug. Whether it has been Chet, Hartenstein, JWill or others, OKC has found ways to win without key players.
It will not be easy tonight though. While Oklahoma City was able to hold Tyrese Haliburton to only six points and two boards, LaMelo Ball will not go down as easily. Ball has skyrocketed this season as he ranks fourth in the NBA in points per game and ninth in three-pointers made.
Being able to force the ball out of LaMelo’s hand and make other Hornet players shoot the ball will be key to a Thunder victory. And of course, as long as OKC has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on their team, they always have a good chance at winning the game.
One more on the road ????
???? FanDuel Sports Network
???? @sportsanimal pic.twitter.com/d7CzyMamEx— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) https://twitter.com/okcthunder/status/1873021095080804608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
MORE THUNDER CONTENT:
How a Jimmy Butler trade could greatly aid the Oklahoma City Thunder
What does the four-year, $81 million Alex Caruso extension mean for the OKC Thunder
Taking a look at the NBA All-Star history for the Oklahoma City Thunder
