On Friday, the Oklahoma City Thunder opened their February slate by hosting the Charlotte Hornets, just days removed from falling to the lowly Detroit Pistons. On Sunday, the OKC Thunder lacked their normal intensity and got beat by a subpar team.
The Thunder looked determined not to let that happen again, as they set the tone early. Not only did Oklahoma City only surrender 19 points in the opening frame, tied for the lowest mark of the season, but their offense thrived.
Oklahoma City posted 73 first-half points, just three shy of marking their season-best before intermission.
A large chunk of their success on both ends was due to MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
In the first half alone, Gilgeous-Alexander put up 19 points, seven assists, two rebounds, five steals, and three blocks, all while missing just one shot attempt (8-for-9). That level of impact added up as the Thunder superstar was a +32 in the first half of action.
This certainly sent social media into a frenzy as Thunder fans enjoyed Oklahoma City coming out and taking care of business during the first 24 minutes of action.
Gilgeous-Alexander was not alone though with strong contributions from Cason Wallace who had ten points in the starting lineup, in place of the injured Jalen Williams.
Chet Holmgren and Josh Giddey each chipped in eight points to help the Thunder blow past the Hornets in the first two frames.
The Thunder will look to keep their foot on the gas in the second half, trying for a wire-to-wire victory to start the weekend off right, before wrapping up the home stand on Sunday against the Raptors.
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