A 24-1 start to the season sparked chatter of history for the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
A 6-5 run since then muted that talk. A stunning home loss to the previously 12-23 Charlotte Hornets on Monday night dropped the Thunder to 30-7 and should officially put to bed their quest for a 73-win regular season.
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After a 33-33 first quarter, the Hornets rode a 34-17 second quarter to a 67-50 halftime lead in Oklahoma City. They never looked back en route to a 124-97 win that’s arguably the most stunning result of the NBA season.
“From the get, it just seemed like they were ahead of us on both ends of the floor, offensively and defensively,” MVP Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game.
Are the Thunder OK?
The loss is the second straight for the Thunder after Devin Booker iced a Phoenix Suns win Sunday night with a last-second 3-pointer. Oklahoma City has now lost six of its past 12 games. Three of those losses have come to the San Antonio Spurs.
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A stretch of .500 basketball and a single bad loss isn’t cause for panic in Oklahoma City for a Thunder team that remains the favorite to win the NBA title. But the Thunder look much more vulnerable now than they were during their scorching start to the season.
Hornets controlled both ends of the court
The Hornets outplayed the Thunder in virtually every facet of the game. They outshot them from the floor (53% to 37%), from 3 (51% to 28%) and from the line (92% to 67%).
They secured a 52-34 rebounding advantage and moved the ball better while assisting on 25-of-41 made field goals, compared to 18 assists on 34 made field goals for the Thunder. Charlotte did this on the third leg of a three-game road trip.
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Oklahoma City’s only notable advantage in the game arrived where expected. The Thunder forced 20 Hornets turnovers while committing just eight of their own. But their ball-hawking defense wasn’t enough to overcome a Hornets team that shot the lights out when it held on to the ball.
Starting Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein sat for a fourth straight game with a calf injury. Alex Caruso also was out. Otherwise, Oklahoma City featured its full allotment of starters, including Gilgeous-Alexander, All-Star Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 21 points and 6 assists in an unusually inefficient effort while shooting 7 of 21 from the floor. Holmgren added 15 points and 6 rebounds, while Williams posted 16 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds. Aaron Wiggins (4 of 8) was the only Thunder starter to shoot 50% from the field.
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Brandon Miller paced the Hornets with 28 points and 6 rebounds while shooting 7 of 10 from 3. Breakout rookie sharpshooter Kon Knueppel hit 5-of-7 3s en route to 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. LaMelo Ball got in on the long-distance party in a 4-of-7 effort from deep while tallying 16 points.
The Hornets will return home to Charlotte to host the Raptors on Wednesday night. The Thunder, meanwhile, will look to regroup for a home game against the Jazz on Wednesday.