Sunday’s game: Charlotte Hornets faces Oklahoma City Thunder’s triple-double machine
3 p.m., Chesapeake Energy Arena
TV: SportSouth. Radio: WFNZ-AM 610.
Projected Starters
Hornets | Thunder | |||||
Pos, Player | PPG | RPG | Pos, Player | PPG | RPG | |
F, M. Kidd-Gilchrist | 9.0 | 7.1 | F, A. Roberson | 6.7 | 5.1 | |
F, M. Williams | 11.6 | 6.6 | F, T. Gibson | 8.8 | 4.4 | |
C, C. Zeller | 10.5 | 6.5 | C, S. Adams | 11.6 | 6.9 | |
G, N. Batum | 15.2 | 6.4 | G, V. Oladipo | 16.3 | 4.4 | |
G, K. Walker | 22.9 | 5.5 apg | G. R. Westbrook | 31.8 | 10.4 apg | |
Matchup to Watch
Russell Westbrook vs. Hornets defense: It’ll take more than one player to stop the Thunder’s triple-double machine.
Observations
▪ Westbrook has 39 triple-doubles, and he’s closing in on the NBA single-season record of 41 (Oscar Robinson, 1961-62).
▪ The Hornets had six blocks in the fourth quarter Friday against Denver, three of them by Marvin Williams.
Tap-ins
▪ The Hornets “held” Westbrook to 33 points, 15 boards and eight rebounds (just a double-double) in a 123-112 victory against the Thunder in January.
▪ If the Thunder’s head athletic trainer looks familiar, that’s because Joe Sharpe used to have the same job for the Charlotte Bobcats for four seasons.
Did you know?
Westbrook had a triple-double through the first three quarters in a victory against Philadelphia on March 22 – the 13th time he’s done that this season.
David Scott
This story was originally published April 1, 2017 at 12:08 AM with the headline "Sunday’s game: Charlotte Hornets faces Oklahoma City Thunder’s triple-double machine."