Thunder Humiliated by Hornets, Shai: “We’re Still a Work in Progress”

What was supposed to be a routine night for the NBA’s best team turned into one of the most shocking losses of the season. The Oklahoma City Thunder, league leaders and defending champions, were dominated 124-97 by the Charlotte Hornets in front of their home crowd, suffering their second straight loss and their worst defeat of the year.

Taking center stage was Brandon Miller, who poured in 28 points and embodied a Charlotte team that played aggressively, organized, and with zero fear. Alongside him, Kon Knueppel added 23 points, capping off a performance that stunned the entire NBA.

An unprecedented loss for OKC

The most telling number is a historic one: OKC entered the night as 15.5-point favorites and lost by 27, becoming the first team in the past 35 years to lose by at least 20 points after being favored by that margin. Never in more than three decades had such a heavy favorite collapsed so decisively.

Not only that. The Thunder:

• hadn’t scored fewer than 100 points in a regular season game since 2024;
• had won 45 straight games against teams below .500;
• were 50-2 over the past two seasons against opponents with a losing record.

Charlotte snapped all of it in one night.

Shock start, then total control

The Hornets came out flying, jumping out to a 21-9 lead. OKC responded in the first quarter thanks to the energy of Ajay Mitchell off the bench, closing the period tied at 33-33, but it proved to be short-lived.

In the second quarter, Charlotte regained control and went into halftime up 67-50. The Thunder struggled at the free-throw line (8-of-15 in the first half), while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was limited to 9 points on 3-of-12 shooting through the first two quarters.

A tough night for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 21 points, reaching his 108th straight game with at least 20 points, the second-longest streak in NBA history. A remarkable milestone, but one that didn’t erase a difficult night: 7-of-21 from the field (33%), his worst shooting percentage of the season.

For the second game in a row, he shot below 40%, something that hadn’t happened in consecutive games since the 2021-22 season. And for once, the reason he didn’t play the fourth quarter wasn’t garbage time in OKC’s favor, but a score that was already out of reach.

Postgame, Shai offered no excuses:

Everything is a work in progress. We’re not the team we want to be at the end of the season yet. We’re far from that level, and we have to get a lot better if we want to reach our goals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The moment that changed the game

Early in the third quarter came the defining image of the night: LaMelo Ball saved a ball headed out of bounds and, balancing precariously on one leg, drilled an unreal shot from the baseline to put Charlotte up 74-55. From that point on, the game never came back into question.

Miller’s three-pointer at the buzzer to end the third quarter made it 99-71, sealing the outcome and cementing one of the most eye-opening wins of the NBA season.

A wake-up call for the Thunder

With the loss, OKC falls to 30-7 after a near-perfect start (24-1). Nothing dramatic, but enough to serve as a reminder that even the best team in the league can struggle when intensity slips.

Charlotte, meanwhile, sends a clear message: when talent and confidence align, even the most established hierarchies can be overturned.