The Charlotte Hornets didn’t just beat the Oklahoma City Thunder last night — they dismantled them. A 27-point blowout in the Thunder’s own building served as Charlotte’s loudest statement of the season, a reminder that when the Hornets’ core is healthy and clicking, their ceiling is far higher than most around the league want to admit. And people are starting to admit.

What made the performance even more impressive was the context. Oklahoma City entered the night boasting the league’s most efficient offense, a group that thrives on pace, spacing, and constant pressure.

Charlotte didn’t shy away from the challenge. They met it head-on — and then overwhelmed it, controlling the game from the opening minutes and never letting the Thunder find oxygen. Sion James was tasked with guarding SGA. James, who has been an absolute steal out of the second round, gave a ton of pressure the defending MVP.

The engine behind it all continues to be the Hornets’ three-man core. Whenever LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel share the floor, Charlotte owns the best offensive rating in the NBA. That statistic stopped being abstract last night. It was loud, tangible, and devastating.  

LaMelo Ball hit circus three after circus three, including one off one foot in the corner as he was falling out of bounds. Just bonkers.

Kon Knueppel added an additional 23 points as he continues to push Cooper Flagg for NBA Rookie of the year. The Hornets are now 9-4 when LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, and Brandon Miller play together. That's not a coincidence.

All of this came without Ryan Kalkbrenner, who remains out. Even shorthanded in the frontcourt, Charlotte controlled the game physically and never allowed Oklahoma City to turn defense into offense. 

The good news is that it sounds like both Ryan Kalkbrenner and Grant Williams, whom we haven't seen since last year, could be returning very soon which would be a massive boost to an already upward trending team.

Winning on the road is hard. Blowing out the league’s best offense by nearly 30 points is something else entirely. For Charlotte, this was another snapshot of what they can be when their young core is healthy, connected, and confident.

Charlotte will return home to host the Toronto Raptors tomorrow night and you can guarantee Spectrum Center will be lit.