Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is proving to be much more than one of the NBA's top scorers. Sure, he scored 31 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder roll past the Charlotte Hornets 126-106 on Friday night. Lu Dort, Oklahoma City's defensive stopper, is impressed with his teammate's play on that end.
Lauri Markkanen had 33 points and 12 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz beat the Charlotte Hornets 134-122 on Saturday night for their 11th victory in 15 games. Collin Sexton added 24 points and 13 assists as the Jazz (24-23) shot 56% from the field and made 17 3-pointers. P.J. Washington tied a career high with 43 points — 31 in the second half — and Nick Richards added a career-best 26 to go with 13 rebounds for the Hornets (10-34).
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 34 points and Jalen Duren's dunk in the final minute punctuated a late 10-2 run, helping the Detroit Pistons to a 113-106 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. Bogdanovic hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 1:46 left. Duren finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, and Alec Burks scored 15 for Detroit, which snapped a three-game losing streak and won for the third time in 41 games.