By Sam Perley, hornets.com
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Result
Looking to follow up their dramatic double-overtime home victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday with another win, the Hornets couldn’t keep pace in the second half with the hometown Thunder, as they fell, 109-95, on Wednesday, Jan. 20, in Oklahoma City. Although Charlotte managed to hang around with the Thunder midway through the third quarter, an injury-depleted Hornets roster ended up taking another hit as both Nicolas Batum (toe) and Cody Zeller (shoulder) left the game in the second half and did not return. Kemba Walker tallied a team-high 21 points for the Hornets while Kevin Durant finished with 26 points to lead Oklahoma City in the victory
Turning Points
Kevin Durant scored 15 points in the first quarter, which helped Oklahoma City get off to a quick 30-22 lead over Charlotte. The Hornets responded in the second though as they were able to trim the Thunder’s advantage down to seven and entered the break trailing, 52-45. Charlotte was then able to cut the lead down to 56-51 by the 9:10 mark of the third but Oklahoma City outscored the Hornets, 32-19, in the remainder of the frame to take an 18-point lead into the fourth. From that point, both teams emptied the benches as the Thunder cruised to its 11th-consecutive victory over Charlotte.
Inside the Box Score
Kemba Walker led the Hornets with a team-high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Walker has now scored 20-or-more points in a game 17 times this season, which is the most of any player on the team… Jeremy Lin notched 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and two assists off the bench… Frank Kaminsky tacked on 15 points, a team-high-tying six rebounds and a team-high four assists for Charlotte… P.J. Hairston and Troy Daniels each finished with 11 points… Brian Roberts tied a season high with nine points… Kevin Durant led the Thunder with a game-high 26 points, five rebounds and five assists… Russell Westbrook flirted with a triple-double as he posted 16 points, eight rebounds and game highs in both assists (15) and steals (five) in just 27 minutes of play… Enes Kanter chipped in 12 points and six rebounds off the bench… Serge Ibaka and Kyle Singler each knocked down 11 points… Steven Adams tallied his fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds… Oklahoma City dominated Charlotte on the glass, 51-34, which included a 14-6 difference in offensive rebounds… The Thunder turned the ball over 20 total times while the Hornets had 16 total giveaways… Both teams finished with nine made three-point attempts.
Hornets Player of the Game
Frank Kaminsky had another impressive outing off the bench as the rookie finished with 15 points, a team-high-tying six rebounds and a team-high four assists. Kaminsky has now scored in double figures in four-consecutive games for the Hornets, which is the longest streak so far of his NBA career.
Thunder Player of the Game
Russell Westbrook had a dominant all-around performance for the Thunder as he tallied 16 points, eight rebounds and game highs in both assists (15) and steals (five) for his 28th double-double of the season, which is second-most overall in the NBA. Westbrook’s assists total was also just one off his season best and two shy of matching his career high of 17 set last season.
Game Notes
Jeremy Lamb missed his fourth-consecutive game for the Hornets (toe)… Charlotte head coach, Steve Clifford, and Oklahoma City’s Dion Waiters and Serge Ibaka were all whistled for technical fouls over the course of the game… Charlotte is now 0-8 on the road against the Thunder since the franchise relocated from Seattle to Oklahoma City for the start of the 2008-09 NBA season.
Next Up
The Hornets will take on the Magic at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 22 in Orlando. This game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.