On the second night of a back-to-back, the Charlotte Hornets were faced with their toughest opponent of the season: the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points and Chet Holmgren added 25 as the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder used a big third quarter to beat the Charlotte Hornets 109-96 for their

Both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Charlotte Hornets may be without multiple key players in Saturday night's matchup.

The Thunder and Hornets tip off at 6 p.m. CT. This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/thunder/onsi as OKC Thunder Starter Upgraded Ahead of Bout with Hornets. The Thunder are set to take on the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night, hoping to avoid just its second loss of the 2025-26 season.

The NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder (12-1) look for their fifth straight win on Saturday night when they catch the Charlotte Hornets (4-8) on the back end of a road-home back-to-back.

The Thunder (12-1) have won four in a row. Back-to-back blowout victories sent a message to the rest of the NBA. They humiliated the Los Angeles Lakers in a 121-92 win on Wednesday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points and nine assists in three quarters.

Preview the Oklahoma City Thunder's NBA matchup with Charlotte, including betting odds, tips, trends, and game information.

OKC has one loss. The Hornets just played a really tough gale and lost to the Bucks in OT, so they’re gassed. A juggernaut vs a mediocre team? It won’t be close. The NBA schedule makers did the Hornets no favors with this one.