Hornets Extra: Hornets @ Thunder

Charlotte Hornets(10-19) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder(13-16)

Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City

Friday, 8:00 p.m.

Television: SportSouth

Radio: WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan)

Series history(since original Hornets first season in 1988-89): SEA/OKC franchise leads series 32-15 all-time

After their 2-day Christmas break, the Charlotte Hornets will venture out to Oklahoma City in search of their 5th straight win against the always tough Oklahoma City Thunder.  The Hornets are coming off a 108-101 win over the Bucks on Tuesday night in Milwaukee, while the Thunder is licking their wounds after dropping a 115-111 decision to the Portland Trail Blazers, and they'll be in action on Christmas Day tomorrow, when they square off against the defending NBA champion Spurs in San Antonio.  The Charlotte franchise in the modern era(since 2004-05) hasn't won a game in Oklahoma City since the then-Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City back in the 2008-09 season, but the Hornets look to end the long streak on Friday night.

Scouting the Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets are enjoying their recent string of wins, 4 of them to be exact, as they defeated the Bucks last night in Milwaukee, while Kemba Walker has been carrying a good bulk of the load in those wins, along with Al Jefferson as well.  Last night's game marked the fifth time that the Hornets franchise has scored 100 points in a game since April 8-16 of 2008, when the then-Bobcats accomplished that feat.  The Charlotte franchise hasn't won a game in Oklahoma City in the modern era(2004-present), but the Hornets look to reverse that trend and finally earn themselves their first win in OKC on Friday night, as they take on the Thunder.

Scouting the Thunder

Last night was a crazy night for the Thunder on the home floor of Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, as they entertained the Portland Trail Blazers, and the end result of that game wasn't the way head coach Scott Brooks and his squad wanted to see, as Portland came away with a 115-111 win in overtime, despite Russell Westbrook dropping 40 points in the loss for the Thunder, who are still without one of their other star players, Kevin Durant. Oklahoma City will be in action on Christmas Day tomorrow, as they visit San Antonio to begin a back-to-back set against the defending champion Spurs, before they return home to OKC on Friday to face the Hornets.

Next 4 games for the Hornets(Home games in Purple, Road games in Teal)

Saturday: Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte*(7:00 p.m.)
Monday: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
Next Wednesday: Charlotte @ Houston Rockets(7:00 p.m.)
Next Friday: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
*-Southeast Division game

NOTES: All SportSouth telecasts begin with "Hornets Live" 30 minutes before tip-off; All Hornets games can be heard locally on flagship station WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan) and throughout the Carolinas on the Hornets Radio Network.

30 Teams in 30 Days: Oklahoma City Thunder

Our "30 Teams in 30 Days" series now takes us to Oklahoma City for a look at the Oklahoma City Thunder, as they look to bounce back from a rough go in the 2014 Western Conference Finals and to look at a positive outcome entering this upcoming season.

Last season's record: 59-23(1st in Northwest Division, 2nd in Western Conference; Def. MEM 4-3 in Western Conference First Round; Def. LAC 4-2 in Western Conference Semi-finals; Lost to SA 4-2 in Western Conference Finals)

Head Coach: Scott Brooks(7th season, 293-170 overall with OKC)

Arena: Chesapeake Energy Arena(18,203)

Website: thunder.nba.com

The Oklahoma City Thunder is starting to come into their own as one of the elite teams in the NBA over the past 5 seasons, all of which are winning seasons, and when the Thunder hired Scott Brooks as their head coach in 2008, his main goal was to make the Thunder a perennial contender year in and year out, and they done so with the person at the center of it all for Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant.

The chemistry between Durant and Brooks resulted in Oklahoma City notching its 5th consecutive winning season with a 59-23 mark and a Northwest Division title, thus securing the number 2 seed in last year's Western Conference Playoffs, where they took down Memphis in 7 games and defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in 6 games, before they would meet their doom in last year's Western Conference Finals, losing in 6 to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs.

This year, it's a fresh slate for Oklahoma City, as the Thunder is hungry to pick up where they left off, with Durant running the show, and things are indeed looking up in OKC for the Thunder, as they look to keep the momentum going into the 2014-15 season.

Upcoming team previews in the "30 Teams in 30 Days" series

• Tuesday: Denver Nuggets
• Wednesday: Utah Jazz
• Thursday: Phoenix Suns
• Friday: Los Angeles Clippers