The Hornets have been abysmal this season. At 18-51, they have the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference.
Things don’t sound like they will improve for the Hornets, at least against the Thunder Friday night, as the team announced LaMelo Ball would miss the game managing his right ankle injury.
Center Mark Williams, who was almost traded to the Los Angeles Lakers before a failed physical, will also miss the game with a left foot injury.
It’s not incredibly surprising to see teams, particularly the bottom dwellers, sit their stars. While the teams at the top of the standings might be jockeying for playoff position and seeding, the league’s worst teams are doing something similar in an attempt to improve their odds of landing the No. 1 pick.
The Hornets currently have the league’s third-worst record and could even jump the Washington Wizards for the second-best odds to get the No. 1 pick. After the Thunder officially clinched the No. 1 seed Thursday night, they could elect to get some players some rest before the grind of playoff basketball begins in about a month.
LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams are out tonight vs OKC.
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) March 21, 2025
Don’t bank on it, though, as the Thunder are the league’s youngest team, with an average player age of 24.148. With how great the Thunder have been playing lately, sitting any of them down and taking them out of their grooves would almost be criminal.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are having quite an impressive season.
Led by superstar point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder sit at 57-12 and have the highest win percentage in the NBA with .826.
Unlike some teams that have tapered off or have gone .500 over their last 10, the Thunder remain on all systems go and are 9-1 in their last 10.
Meanwhile, their opponents Friday night, the Charlotte Hornets, are having a rough season.
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