NBA: Thunder’s struggles continue with shock loss to Hornets

Brandon Miller scored 28 points as the Charlotte Hornets stunned NBA leaders Oklahoma City Thunder with a 124-97 win on Monday night.

Kon Knueppel added 23 points for Charlotte, who had lost three of their previous four games before handing Oklahoma City its heaviest defeat of the season.

The Thunder finished with a season-low points total and failed to score 100 points for the first time in the 2025-26 campaign.

It was also Oklahoma City’s first loss to a team that entered the game with a losing record since November 19, 2024. The Thunder had won 45 straight games against teams below .500 and were 50-2 in those matchups over the previous two seasons.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points to extend his streak to 108 consecutive games with at least 20 points, the second-longest run in NBA history.

However, he made just seven of 21 shots from the field, his lowest shooting percentage of the season.

While he often sits out fourth quarters because the Thunder are leading comfortably, he did not play in the final period this time because Oklahoma City trailed heavily.

Gilgeous-Alexander has now shot below 40% from the field in consecutive games for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

The defeat marked Oklahoma City’s second straight loss and only their second home defeat of the season. The defending champions began the campaign 24-1 but have now slipped to 30-7.

Charlotte raced into a 21-9 lead before Oklahoma City recovered to tie the game at 33 by the end of the first quarter, helped by 10 points from Ajay Mitchell off the bench.

The Hornets regained control in the second quarter and led 67-50 at half-time, with Miller scoring 19 points before the break.

Oklahoma City struggled at the free-throw line, making just eight of 15 attempts in the first half, while Gilgeous-Alexander was limited to nine points on three-of-12 shooting.

Early in the third quarter, LaMelo Ball produced a highlight moment by saving the ball from going out of bounds before hitting a difficult shot from the corner to stretch Charlotte’s lead to 74-55.

Miller’s three-pointer at the buzzer extended the Hornets’ advantage to 99-71 at the end of the third quarter, and Charlotte remained in control for the remainder of the game.