NBA Recap: Hornets Dominate Celtics As Thunder And Hawks Win On Wednesday Night

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The NBA’s leading Oklahoma City Thunder, the in-form Charlotte Hornets and the resurgent Atlanta Hawks all continued strong runs on 5 March, collecting important wins that stretched current streaks, tightened playoff races and delivered standout performances from Kon Knueppel, Chet Holmgren and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Oklahoma City edged the New York Knicks 103-100 at Madison Square Garden, as Chet Holmgren matched a career best with six made 3-pointers and finished with 28 points and eight rebounds, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 26 points and eight assists in the narrow Thunder victory.

Holmgren hit 11 of 19 field goal attempts and went 6 of 11 from beyond the arc, ending three points short of a season high, while Gilgeous-Alexander shot 9 of 16 and converted all seven free throws as Oklahoma City moved to 49-15 and secured a fourth consecutive win.

Lu Dort was the only other Thunder player in double digits with 16 points before fouling out, yet Oklahoma City still drained 16 three-pointers and overcame a 46-20 deficit in paint scoring, limiting New York to 7-of-21 shooting in the fourth quarter after the Knicks briefly led.

Charlotte produced one of the night’s most one-sided results, beating the Boston Celtics 118-89 and stretching the Hornets’ overall winning streak to six games while also recording a franchise-record 10th straight road victory, helped by 20 points from Kon Knueppel and efficient support from multiple teammates.

Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball each contributed 18 points, while Coby White posted 17 points and six assists as Charlotte climbed above .500 for the first time since 26 October, never trailed, led by as many as 29 and committed only five turnovers across the entire contest.

The Celtics, playing a sixth game in nine days, struggled from the outset, shooting 30 of 79 overall, turning the ball over 16 times that produced 21 Hornets points and hitting only 10 of 36 three-point attempts, despite Derrick White scoring 29 points and Jaylen Brown adding 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Atlanta Hawks stay hot while Milwaukee Bucks slide

Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s 23 points guided the Atlanta Hawks to a 131-113 home win over the Milwaukee Bucks, securing a fifth successive victory and pushing Atlanta above .500 for the first time since mid-December, as the Hawks overturned an early 16-point deficit with a strong response after halftime.

Onyeka Okongwu added 21 points and Jalen Johnson produced 20 points with nine assists as Atlanta outscored Milwaukee 65-42 after the interval, while CJ McCollum recorded 18 points and Dyson Daniels posted 14 points and 10 rebounds in a game where both teams had key players unavailable through knee issues.

Atlanta, which had last owned a winning record at 15-12 following a 14 December victory over Philadelphia before dropping seven straight, moved five games ahead of Milwaukee for 10th in the Eastern Conference, leaving the Bucks’ bid for a 10th successive playoff appearance under serious threat after four defeats by a combined 97 points.

The three results strengthened the positions of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks in their respective playoff races, while the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks lost momentum and Boston’s three-game winning spell ended amid clear fatigue and offensive struggles.