Hornets figure out how to defeat Thunder
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Nicolas Batum scored 28 points and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 123-112 on Wednesday night at the Spectrum Center, snapping an 11-game losing streak against the Thunder.
Batum scored on a drive and a 3-pointer as part of a 9-0 run that pushed a 105-104 Charlotte lead to 114-104 with 1:19 remaining. Oklahoma City never got closer than six the rest of the way.
The Hornets (20-16) snapped a two-game losing streak and retained their lead in the Southeast Division.
Oklahoma City (21-15) could have moved into a tie with Utah for first place in the Northwest Division with a win. The Thunder were frustrated by the officiating most of the night, as the Hornets were 40 of 49 from the free-throw line.
Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 33 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists but missed 10 of his first 12 shots from the floor and finished 10 of 31 from the field and 2 of 12 from 3-point range. He picked up a technical foul in the first quarter.
The Thunder also got 22 points from Enes Kanter and 18 each from Steven Adams and Victor Oladipo.
Kemba Walker added 20 points and nine assists for the Hornets. Frank Kaminsky scored 17 points, all in the first half, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Kidd-Gilchrist also did much of the defensive work on Westbrook.
Batum finished 7 of 18 from the field but was 13 of 15 from the free-throw line.
Westbrook was tagged with a technical foul with 3:13 remaining in the first quarter and the score tied 16-16. After the Thunder called timeout, Westbrook threw the ball to referee Tre Maddox as he was walking to the bench. But Maddox wasn’t looking and the ball hit Maddox in the head.
Referee Sean Corbin called the technical at that point, drawing the ire of Thunder players and coaches.
Westbrook had been knocked to the floor on drives no fewer than three times already at that point, with no fouls called.
Charlotte led 27-22 after one quarter and 60-55 at halftime. The Thunder led 88-87 after three quarters.
NOTES: Hornets C Cody Zeller remained in the NBA's concussion protocol, but G Marco Belinelli returned after missing the previous five games with a sprained ankle. ... Thunder G Russell Westbrook came into the game leading the NBA in scoring at 30.9 points per game and was also averaging 10.5 assists and 10.4 rebounds. He came into the game with a league-leading 16 triple-doubles. ... The Hornets waived G Aaron Harrison on Tuesday but probably will not replace him on the roster. ... The Thunder were playing the second game of a three-game road trip. The trip started with a 98-94 loss at Milwaukee on Monday and will end in Houston on Thursday. ... The Hornets were coming off a 118-111 loss at Chicago on Monday. ... The Hornets will open a five-game road trip on Thursday at Detroit. They'll also play at San Antonio, Houston, Philadelphia and Boston on the trip. ... The Thunder and Hornets will play one more time on April 2 in Oklahoma City.