The Oklahoma City Thunder will look to start another winning streak on Monday night when they host the Charlotte Hornets.
The NBA-best Thunder saw their four-game winning streak come to an abrupt halt with a 108-105 setback to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points and Jalen Williams added 23 for Oklahoma City, which was undone by Devin Booker’s 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Gilgeous-Alexander, however, isn’t sounding the alarm despite the Thunder dropping five of their past 11 games following a scintillating 24-1 run to start the season. After all, he is aware that every opponent likely is monitoring every detail of the Thunder’s game when setting its sights on defending champion Oklahoma City.
“Probably the six times that we’ve lost this year, that was the case,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “A lot of times you don’t lose because of talent, you lose because of the little things and doing what it takes to win in this league. Teams are going to come in with a heightened sense of the game. They are going to test themselves against the defending champs to really see where they are.”
The measuring stick is high in regard to sizing up Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player. He averages a robust 31.9 points per game, which ranks below only Los Angeles Lakers standout Luka Doncic (33.7).
Gilgeous-Alexander erupted for 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting from the floor in Oklahoma City’s 109-96 win in Charlotte on Nov. 15.
Miles Bridges, who scored 15 points in that contest, poured in 26 on Saturday as the Hornets snapped a three-game losing skid with a 112-99 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Bridges ranks in the franchise’s top five in total points, rebounds, made field goals and 3-pointers.
“I think it’s been really impressive to work with Miles,” Hornets head coach Charles Lee said. “I’ve loved everything that he obviously gives to his teammates, but what he gives to the coaching as well. We’re constantly learning from him.
“Him wanting to play through a tweaked ankle, through any type of bumps or bruises that he has, our guys feed off of that. And so it’s been really inspiring to see him out there on a night-to-night basis.”
LaMelo Ball, who collected 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds on Saturday, is expected to be available despite being involved in a scary collision with Chicago’s Jalen Smith.
Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren averages 18.2 points and 8.2 rebounds to rank second in both categories on his team. The 7-foot-1 star had 15 points and a season-high 15 rebounds in the Thunder’s 131-94 rout of the Golden State Warriors on Friday and collected 25 and eight, respectively in the previous encounter versus Charlotte.
