It’s dress rehearsal time. The Oklahoma City Thunder will have most of their top players in action against the Charlotte Hornets in their preseason matchup on Thursday.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault announced pregame that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso, Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins will all play against the Hornets. Meanwhile, Chet Holmgren will be out with shoulder soreness. It’s a precautionary move.
It makes sense for the Thunder to treat this game as their dress rehearsal. It’s in the comfort of their own home gym and most of them have missed the first two preseason games, which were a road back-to-back on Sunday and Monday.
Daigneault also said they won’t play them the entire game. That likely means they’ll only play for the first half. The Thunder will host 2025-26 Opening Night against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, Oct. 21.