The Charlotte Hornets fell 117-109 at the Los Angeles Clippers Monday night in Inglewood, a game defined by elite scoring from two of the NBA’s veteran stars and a rare end to a historic streak for Charlotte’s rising rookie.

Clippers veterans Kawhi Leonard and James Harden combined for 67 points to lead L.A. to the win, with Leonard pouring in 35 points and Harden adding 32 along with 10 assists. Leonard lit up the third quarter with a dominant 19-point stretch, while Harden’s all-around night also pushed him past Shaquille O’Neal into ninth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Charlotte battled back throughout, briefly taking a 100-99 lead early in the fourth, but a decisive 15-1 Clippers run sparked by Harden and Jordan Miller swung the momentum back L.A.’s way. Clippers defense tightened late, and Charlotte couldn’t get enough stops or timely baskets to regain the lead.

LaMelo Ball led all scorers for Charlotte with 25 points and nine rebounds, as he continues to put together a consistent clip of scoring and availability since returning to play last month. Kon Knueppel scored 18 points, but more importantly saw his streak of 16 consecutive games with multiple made three-pointers — the longest such streak by any rookie in NBA history — come to an end.

Hornets head coach Charles Lee has been effusive in his praise of Knueppel all season, stressing that his young wing is “so much more than just a shooter” and “a hell of a basketball player,” highlighting his well-rounded contributions beyond the arc.

Moussa Diabate got the start, yet again, at the five as Ryan Kalkbrenner came off the bench in his second game back from injury.

The loss drops Charlotte to 14-26 on the season and is just game two of a five game road stretch that's one of their longest road trips of the season, so far.

They'll face a Lakers team that's currently on a three game losing streak on Thursday night.