Thunder’s 5th consecutive victory! Alexander’s 33+7 created an NBA miracle. In this battle, I have to admit 4 realities

Editor|Old Kankanqiu

On November 16, the NBA 2025-26 season ushered in the focus of the game. The Charlotte Hornets sat at home and faced the Oklahoma City Thunder. To everyone's amazement, the defending champion Thunder team has evolved again this season. With second-in-command Jay Wei not playing a game, Alexander led the team to an epic record of 12 wins and 1 loss, ranking first in the league. In the first 13 games, the Thunder's plus-minus point difference has been as high as +202 (only three teams in NBA history have achieved this). Do you feel that the suspense of the championship is almost gone?

Before the game, the US media ESPN predicted the game. The Thunder's winning rate is as high as 87.5%, while the Hornets' winning rate is only 12.5%. The gap is too obvious. In terms of the starting lineup, on the Thunder side, Jay Wei continues to be absent. The latest starting five are: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Carson Wallace, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein; on the Hornets side, LaMelo Ball, Josh Green (left shoulder surgery), Brandon Miller (left shoulder subluxation) and Grant Williams (right knee surgery) will miss the game, and the starting lineup is: Sean James, Bridges, Sexton, Karl Kobrenner, Knupper.

At the beginning of the first quarter, both teams felt bad and did not score for more than 3 minutes. The game ended in a 2-2 draw. Knupel and Saxton hit consecutive three-pointers, and the Hornets led by 4 points. Holmgren missed the hook and scored a reverse layup from the top of the first three after grabbing the basket. He immediately responded. Then he received a pass from Alexander and single-handedly reached the basket. He took off directly and completed a one-handed dunk. The Thunder took the lead. Bridges caught the ball and hit a three-point jumper. Alexander held the ball and switched offense and defense. He could also respond with a direct pull-up three-pointer when facing the defense. Diabate made a tip-in, Mann caught the ball in a wide open space and hit a three-pointer. The Hornets tied the score and stopped the Thunder. Alexander forced a foul, Mitchell Jr. made an air cut and hit a floating jumper. Mann stepped back and hit a three-pointer. At the end of the first quarter, the Hornets and the Thunder tied again at 30-30.

Back in the second quarter, Sexton scored 5 points in a row with sudden shots from inside and outside, and the Hornets led by 5 points. Holmgren faced the defense and hit a three-pointer. Then after Mitchell stole the ball, Holmgren counterattacked quickly and caused a foul. The Thunder continued to chase points. Connaughton made an emergency stop and hit a three-pointer. The entire Hornets team's three-pointers were very accurate today. Alexander turned around and made a fadeaway jumper against the close defense, and hit the ground to score 2+1. Dort took a pass from his teammate and made a decisive shot, making a magical three-pointer, and the Thunder once again took the lead. Knupper and Sexton shot and hit the ball one after another, and Holmgren made a cut and then completed a dunk. At the end of the half, the Thunder led the Hornets by 3 points 55-52.

Half-time data, for the Hornets, Knipel played 16 minutes, only 2 of 8 shots, 1 of 4 three-pointers, 5 points, 2 assists and 1 block. The plus-minus value of -9 is temporarily the lowest on the team; rookie Kalkbrenner was not afraid of Chet, shooting 2 of 2 from the field, 4 of 4 free throws, scoring 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block.

For the Thunder, Alexander played 17 minutes, made 7 of 12 shots, 2 of 3 three-pointers, 2 of 3 free throws, and scored 18 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals; Chet Holmgren played 16 minutes, made 6 of 12 shots, 1 of 2 three-pointers, and contributed 14 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block.

Change sides and fight again. Holmgren made a decisive three-pointer from the top of the arc and hit it steadily. Then he scored 5 points in a row with an alley-oop dunk to stop the Hornets. Alexander used a pick-and-roll and hit a three-pointer. The Thunder went 10-0 in the first two minutes of the second half, instantly opening the point difference to 13 points. Alexander held the ball and played from behind. He turned around and hit the ball from the mid-range. He has already scored 31 points. Isaiah Joe and Mitchell Jr. hit two consecutive three-pointers, and the Thunder already led by 20 points. Diabate caught the ball hand-in-hand, broke away from the defense and made a layup to score 2+1, which stopped the bleeding in time. After three quarters, the Hornets trailed the Thunder by 17 points, 70-87.

In the decisive battle in the fourth quarter, Knipur dribbled through the pick-and-roll and confidently pulled out a three-pointer at a 45-degree angle. Mitchell received the ball and broke through, facing the defense with a high-arc throw and scoring 2+1, and responded immediately. Zion James hit a three-pointer against the defense, KJ Simpson hit consecutive mid-range jumpers, and the Hornets narrowed the point difference to 14 points. Unfortunately, there was little time left. In the end, the Thunder easily defeated the Hornets 109-96 in an away game and won their fifth consecutive victory.

Full game statistics, for the Thunder, Alexander made 13 of 19 shots, 3 of 4 three-pointers, 4 of 5 free throws, scored 33 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. He has scored 20+ points in the 86th consecutive game. , continuing the third record in NBA history and setting an NBA miracle; Chet Holmgren made 10 of 20 shots, 2 of 4 three-pointers and contributed 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block; Mitchell Jr. scored 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.

For the Hornets, Knipel made only 3 of 10 shots and scored 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block; rookie Kalkbrenner made 4 of 6, 5 of 6 free throws, scored 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block.

In this battle, I have to admit four realities. First, it is becoming more and more obvious that the Thunder are really champions. No matter how they play in the first half, they can widen the point difference in an instant as long as they exert their strength in the second half. At present, only the Nuggets and Rockets can pose a threat to them in the West; second, Alexander has also increased his three-pointers this season, and his influence on the game is truly top-notch in the league. This game Although Ji has missed many free throws, his style of play has become increasingly stable; third, as long as Chet can keep up with his physical strength, his efficiency is really high, and he is definitely worthy of the maximum salary; fourth, the Thunder management's draft vision is really the strongest in the league, and Mitchell Jr. has also performed well this season, and is well-deserved as the "NBA Whampoa Military Academy".