A season-high third-straight win could be in the cards for the Charlotte Hornets if they can figure out a way to knock off the red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder, who they face tonight starting at 8 p.m. ET.
This will be the second meeting of the season between the two sides as Oklahoma City rallied from 19 down to take round one, 111-107, back on Nov. 1 in Charlotte. The visitors got 46 combined points from reserves Álex Abrines and Dennis Schröder, helping fuel a big fourth quarter in which they shot 15-of-27 from the field (55.6 percent) and had zero turnovers.
The Hornets will look to get more from Cody Zeller in this one, who was limited to just five points on 2-of-4 shooting in 27 minutes against OKC three weeks ago. He just had a season-high 15 points against Indiana and over his last six outings, is putting up 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals. This stretch also includes a team-best 100.0 defensive rating in five appearances between Nov. 9-19.
Zeller will be matched up against fellow 2013 NBA Draftee and arguably one of the strongest players in the league today in Steven Adams. Through Nov. 19, the Kiwi is averaging a career-high 15.6 points and 10.4 rebounds, nearly half of which (4.9) are on the offensive end (second most in the NBA). Adams uses his strength for positioning around the rim, allowing a surplus of opportunities for tip-outs and second-chance-point attempts.
Game Note – The Hornets held five-time All-Star forward Paul George to just 11 points on 4-of-20 shooting (0-of-10 from three) back on Nov. 1. This is the lowest single-game scoring total of George’s nine-year NBA career in which he attempted at least 20 shots from the field (previous: 14 points done twice).
Classic Fact – In a 124-115 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics on March 20, 1994, Muggsy Bogues became the first player in franchise history to record at least 20 points and 15 assists in a single game. Since then, five other Charlotte players have accomplished this feat: Anthony Goldwire, Baron Davis, Brevin Knight, Raymond Felton, Kemba Walker.