Kon Knuepel breaks his silence when he takes down the Thunder

Knuppel could he broke his silence on Charlotte Hornets’ stunning win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday evening.

Knueppel has made noise as one of the top-performing rookies in the early part of the 2025-26 season. His ability to knock down 3-pointers at a high level earned him recognition as he fully secured a spot in the starting lineup.

Knuepel proved he had a big role to play in the upset win over the defending NBA champions. In 28 minutes of action, he finished with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists and a steal. He shot 8 of 13 from the field, including 5 of 7 from beyond the arc and 2 of 3 from the free throw line.

Rookie star reflected on the victory after the game. He acknowledged that he and the entire Charlotte staff can be elite on the offensive side of the ball, playing like they did against Oklahoma City as long as they emphasize consistency and solid teamwork.

“We were calm; we came here like we belonged, and we have to do that every night,” Knueppel said.

“We can be an elite offensive group; we play with the pass and we play fast. That’s what we’ve been doing for the last half month and we want to continue that.”

🎙 Kon Knuppel: “We were calm. We came in here like we belonged, and we have to do that every night.”

“We can be an elite offensive group. We play with the pass, and we play fast. That’s what we’ve been doing for the last half month and we want to continue that.” pic.tvitter.com/SbiBKEpzbl

— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) January 6, 2026

As Kon Knuepel, the Hornets played against the Thunder

It was a remarkable road win for Kon Knuepel and the Hornets who torched the Thunder in a 124-97 loss.

The game started tight as both teams were tied at 33 apiece after the first quarter. However, Charlotte exploded for a 34-17 run in the second period, something Oklahoma City never recovered from the rest of the night.

Six players scored in double figures for Charlotte in the win, including Knuepel. Brandon Miller led the team with 28 points, six rebounds, two steals, two blocks and one assist. He shot 8-of-16 overall, including 7-of-10 from downtown and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. Miles Bridges followed with 17 points and 11 rebounds, LaMelo Ball had 16 points and two assists, PJ Hall scored 13 points and five rebounds, while Collin Sexton scored 10 points.

Charlotte improved to 13-23 on the season, holding onto 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings. They are 0.5 games above the Brooklyn Nets and three games above the Washington Wizards, while trailing the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks by three games.

The Hornets will be looking forward to their next match as they are at home. They host the Toronto Raptors on January 7th at 7pm ET.