Free NBA Picks Today: Charlotte Hornets vs Oklahoma City Thunder 12/29/22

The Oklahoma City Thunder (15-19, 5-11 Away) head to face the Charlotte Hornets (9-26, 4-11 Home) Thursday in a matchup of fast-paced teams. Oklahoma City beat the San Antonio Spurs 130-114 at Paycom Center on Tuesday.

With 28 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and four blocks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way. The Thunder are the 12th seed in the Western Conference. Charlotte dropped their last game on Tuesday at Chase Center, falling to the Golden State Warriors 110-105. LaMelo Ball tallied 21 points to top the scoresheet in defeat.

With 7 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks, Mason Plumlee also produced a strong performance. The Hornets are the 14th seed in the Eastern Conference.

The teams are meeting for the first time this season. Charlotte won both games between the teams last season, the last of which was a 134-116 triumph at Paycom Center on March 14, their third straight head-to-head victory.

Terry Rozier led the Hornets with 30 points, while Miles Bridges played a key role with 27 points and six assists. Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points and eight rebounds in the loss.

The Thunder have been led this season by Gilgeous-Alexander, who is averaging 31.5 points per game, third-highest in the league. Gilgeous-Alexander also has dished 5.8 assists per game.

Meanwhile, Josh Giddey is grabbing 8.1 rebounds.Kelly Oubre Jr. and Rozier have supplied much of the Hornets’ offense, averaging 20.6 and 20.3 points per game, respectively. Rozier also has distributed 5.5 assists per game. Plumlee has averaged 9.2 rebounds per game.

There should be plenty of transition offense in this matchup that showcases two of the NBA’s most up-and-down teams, as the Thunder are first in possessions per game while the Hornets are fourth.

The Thunder have dominated the last 10 visits to Spectrum Center, winning eight. Oklahoma City has dropped three in a row on the road this season. Charlotte has lost five straight at home this season.

Oklahoma City is 4-6 in the last 10 games with an average margin of -1.6 (113.0-114.6). Charlotte has gone 2-8 over the last 10, allowing 124.6 points per game on average while scoring only 115.2 (-9.4 margin). The Hornets are averaging 111.2 ppg for the full season while allowing 118.0.