Shai, Thunder spoil the Hornets' city edition debut night, soundly take down Buzz

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.

The Thunder have started off the year 12-1, with a top-five offense and the number one defense in the sport. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looking as if he may win MVP again, the 4-8 Hornets had a large task ahead of them.

It did not help that after returning from a five-game absence last night, star LaMelo Ball was set to miss the game as the team manages his ankle injury.

"Our performance staff and player development group did a good job of developing a plan to maximize him," Head Coach Charles Lee said pregame. "So, minutes going forward for a while, we will have to be mindful of putting him in the best position to be available for as many games as possible.”

The Hornets continued their trend of scoring 30+ in the first half again on Saturday night, though they also continued their trend of allowing 30+ in the first quarter. While the Buzz are third in the league in first quarter scoring, they are first in the league in first quarter points allowed.

The game remained close in the second quarter, and the Hornets held a 6-point lead with 5:07 to go in the second quarter. The game completely turned on its head from there, though, as Charlotte headed into halftime, trailing by 3 points.

In typical fashion, the Hornets fell apart in the third quarter. A 16-1 run put the game to sleep for Oklahoma City, who won the third quarter 32-18. Gilgeous-Alexander only played in three quarters of basketball, recording 33 points on 68.4% from the field, along with 7 assists and 2 steals. He was last season's MVP and Finals MVP for a reason.

While the game was competitive and close in the fourth quarter, the lead Oklahoma City built in the third quarter was far too much for the Hornets to overcome without their star player.

The Hornets were defeated 109-96 on Saturday night, with a visit to Toronto to play the Raptors on Monday.

Moussa Diabate

The Hornets big man has excelled to start the 2025-26 season, doubling his scoring output from a season ago. In Saturday night's defeat, he put up 13 points along with 11 rebounds and 4 assists.

“I think I’ve definitely gotten better,” Diabaté said postgame. “A lot of it just comes from the experience of playing in real NBA games. Getting those reps helps you understand the spacing, know where your spots are, and what to get to when you get there. At the end of the day, that’s what builds confidence to shoot the ball.”

Moussa has now recorded 5 double-doubles on the season, only two shy of his career high of seven in a season.

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