Hornets scorch OKC's defense with relentless three-point barrage, exposing Thunder's home struggles. A stunning shooting gap seals a lopsided defeat.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that has been nearly unbeatable at home this season, got run out of the building by the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night, falling 124-97 at Paycom Center.
It was the second night of a back-to-back for OKC after a brutal loss in Phoenix on Sunday, and instead of responding with the kind of urgency you usually see from this group at home, the Thunder never really found a foothold.
There are reasons the Thunder has looked a little off lately. The rotation has been in flux, bodies have been banged up, and Jalen Williams is still working his way back into a full rhythm. But being down around 30 in a game like this, on your own floor, against a Charlotte team that came in well under .500, is borderline inexcusable for this Thunder team.
The story was the shooting gap, plain and simple. Charlotte ripped through the Thunder’s defense all night, finishing at 53% from the floor and 51% from three while OKC shot 37% overall and 28% from deep. Brandon Miller buried seven threes by himself, Kon Knueppel drilled five, and LaMelo Ball added four more, which tells you everything you need to know about how the Hornets built and maintained separation.
On the Thunder side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander never got comfortable and finished with 21 points on 7-of-21 shooting, which is poor by his standards and a big part of why OKC’s offense never got off the ground. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams had moments, but this was one of those nights where every mini-run got answered immediately, and the game was effectively decided well before the final few minutes.
Now the Thunder has to wear it, tune out the noise, and get back to work. Next up is another home date with the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.