OKC’s stunning loss to the Hornets snaps a 24-game, 45-game hitting streak

On Monday, the defending champion The OKC Thunder were shocked when is The Charlotte Hornets won 124-97.

In the process, the Hornets officially ended Thunder’s 45-game winning streak against teams with losing records, per ClutchPoints.

Afterwards, the Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault gave props Hornets, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman/Yahu Sports.

“Credit to them,” Daigneault said. “They did a really good job of attacking us on the offensive end. They did a really good job of guarding us. They made it difficult for us and obviously outplayed us for 48 minutes.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 21 points and six assists. Jaylen Williams scored 16 points with four assists. meanwhile, Chet Holmgren he finished the game with 15 points and six rebounds.

However, the Thunder were without top rebounder Isaiah Hartenstein, who is battling a calf injury. As a result, the Thunder were outscored 52-33.

“Obviously, Hart is huge for us,” Holmgren said. “Everybody knows he’s a monster on the glass. He’s always been big for us in that department when he’s been with us. I can’t wait for him to come back. He’s doing everything he needs to do to take care of himself and come back to play with us.”

“But at the end of the day, it’s less about chalking it up to this or that. It’s more about getting better in that area and doing it.”

In addition, the Hornets snapped the Thunder’s 24-game winning streak against Eastern Conference opponents. Their last loss was on January 8, 2025 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The defense let the Thunder down.

A significant reason why the Thunder lost was their defense. However, it wasn’t just against the Hornets; it was in the last twelve games. Through this stretch, the Thunder went 6-6.

In doing so, they gave up an average of 117 points. Also, their opponents shot 47.5% from the field and 41.6% from the three-point line.

Meanwhile, the Hornets were 53% from the field and 51% from beyond the arc. Also, OKC shot just 36.6% from the field and 28.2% from the three-point line.

“The reason we’re a really good defense is because we take what you want to (take away),” Holmgren said. “You wake up in the morning and say, ‘I want to do this tonight. I want to get to this. I want to take these shots.’ And we take them away and force you to figure out the next thing. I feel like we didn’t do that tonight. I feel like they were comfortable.”

Still, the Thunder are 30-7 and still have the best record in the NBA.