The defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder opened their preseason with a 135-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night at the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, South Carolina.
Aaron Wiggins led Oklahoma City with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting, including 13 in the first quarter as the Thunder built a double-digit lead early and never trailed. Coach Mark Daigneault praised Wiggins’ standout performance. “He clearly has the skill and talent to have nights like tonight; we’ve seen that many times. Some guys who have that when they’re in a primary role have a hard time getting into a secondary role. You can really put him in any role and he’ll thrive, stay efficient and stay on the team.”
Ousmane Dieng added 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Jaylin Williams scored 17 points and hit five 3-pointers. Rookie guard Nikola Topić recorded a team-high 10 points and a team-high seven assists in his preseason debut.
Without a number of regulars — including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso and Lu Dort — the Thunder shot 53.2% from the field and 40.8% from deep.
Charlotte rookie Kon Knueppel led the Hornets with 18 points, while LaMelo Ball and Collin Sexton each added 11 points.
The Thunder outscored Charlotte 17-8 in fast break points and led by as many as 29. Oklahoma City plays the Dallas Mavericks again tomorrow night at 7:30 PM in Fort Worth, Texas. The game will be broadcast over the air on FanDuel Sports Network and on KSBI.
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