The Thunder extended their win streak to five as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren powered a dominant third-quarter surge that lifted Oklahoma City past the Hornets 109-96.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has now passed Russell Westbrook for most 30 point games in Thunder history with his 190th 30 point game.
KD: 239
SGA: 190
Russ: 189
PG: 43
JDub: 15 pic.twitter.com/PmU4NRaPgO— The Daniel Bell© (@BasketballGuruD) November 16, 2025
CHARLOTTE – The Oklahoma City Thunder looked every bit like a team settling comfortably into its rhythm. Behind 33 points and 7 assists from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a strong two-way performance from Chet Holmgren, the Thunder rolled past the Charlotte Hornets 109-96 on Saturday night, extending their winning streak to five and moving to 13-1 on the season.
Even with Charlotte missing Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball, the game didn’t start out easy for Oklahoma City. The first half was a back and forth battle featuring 11 ties and 11 lead changes, with both teams trading momentum in short bursts.
The Thunder found themselves down by six at one point in the second quarter before Gilgeous-Alexander steadied things with 18 first half points, and Holmgren helped control the paint with his energy on the boards.
By halftime, Oklahoma City had just a 55-52 edge due to the Hornets staying in it largely because of their outside shooting, hitting 10-24 attempts from three, and because of how they spread the scoring load. Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 15 points, while Ryan Kalkbrenner, Collin Sexton, and Moussa Diabate added 13 apiece.
But whatever balance Charlotte had in the first half disappeared quickly after the break with the third quarter belonging entirely to the Thunder.
“We had a nice response out of halftime,” head coach Mark Daigneault said.
“We didn’t play our best game in the first half, and we course corrected nicely and made some adjustments to what we were doing, and it was helpful in the third.”
Oklahoma City ripped off a quick 16-1 run over the span of four minutes, turning a tight game into a double digit lead almost instantly. In the first half, Oklahoma City’s first quarter was filled with great offense and shaky defense while the second quarter was all defense and no offense.
That quickly changed after the break with the Thunder defense setting the tone, and once Oklahoma City started stringing together consistent stops, the offense snowballed.
Gilgeous-Alexander got to his spots, the ball moved freely, and the Thunder pace picked up. Holmgren was the anchor throughout, using his length to shut down the lane and start fast-break opportunities.
Charlotte never found a way to recover.
The Thunder pushed their lead to 15 midway through the third and ended the quarter up 87-70, taking full control heading into the final period. From there, the defending champs simply managed the game, keeping the Hornets at arm’s length and avoiding the kind of mistakes that might’ve opened the door for a comeback.
Oklahoma City’s balance was on full display. Gilgeous-Alexander delivered yet another superstar performance with his efficient scoring and late clock shotmaking. Holmgren added 25 points and looked especially assertive inside, a good sign for a team that thrives when he’s making an impact on both ends. Ajay Mitchell chipped in 14 points, Isaiah Hartenstein posted a strong double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Cason Wallace provided 10 points in one of his cleaner outings of the season.
For Charlotte, the early three point shooting helped keep the game close, but once the Thunder tightened up defensively, the Hornets struggled to generate consistent offense.
Missing both Miller and Ball meant fewer creators available, and Oklahoma City took advantage by swarming drivers and forcing contested jumpers.
With the win, the Thunder improved their already impressive dominance over Eastern Conference teams, now winning 23 straight games against the East and are an incredible 22-2 in their last 24 road contests showing a testament to their preparation, execution, and maturity.
Oklahoma City now turns its attention to another road matchup, traveling to New Orleans for a showdown with the Pelicans on Monday night.
If Saturday’s performance is any indication, the Thunder appear locked in, confident, and intent on proving that last year’s championship run was just the beginning.
