The Charlotte Hornets took care of the Oklahoma City Thunder at home, beating them 121-98. This one started out a little tight, but the Hornets kept a mean stiff arm to hold OKC at bay and protect home court. Terry Rozier and Miles Bridges lead the way for Charlotte. Rozier finished with 24 points, five rebounds, and nine assists. Rozier also hit two four-point plays in this game, which is just a really odd stat. Bridges put up 22 points of his own and crashed the glass hard to give him 13 rebounds on the night.

The Hornets have playoff aspirations and protecting home court is huge to reach those goals. Most playoff teams have fantastic home records. Just look at Golden State and the type of home court advantage they've had for nearly a decade. Bridges knows that that's huge for any good team and wants to strive for that kind of feel in the hive.

“We want our home court to be like the Warriors were. We want people to be scared when they come in here. So we just gotta continue to win and dominate teams. We're gonna get to that. We just gotta come in focused and ready to play every time.”

In the past, Oracle arena was one of the loudest arena's in the league and Chase Center is no different in 2022. The Hornets can very well have the same type of environment. They have quality young players, good veterans, and coach that knows how to utilize his players to the best of their abilities. Over time, Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina could become a destination opponents dread to come to.

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Speaking of which, Bridges has put together his fifth straight 20-point game vs. the Thunder. Bridges has been on a tear of late, clearly in the running for the Most Improved Player award. He's played well enough where teams constantly have him on the scouting report and have to game plan for a way to slow him down. Maybe they won't be on the Warriors level over night, but they could be well on their way.

Blowing OKC at home is a good start, but they have a better Atlanta Hawks team to deal with next time out. The Hawks have been struggling as of late, but they are still a dangerous team. Hopefully, Charlotte can replicate their performance Sunday night.