The Charlotte Hornets pulled off one of the most eye-catching upsets of the season by crushing the Oklahoma City Thunder 124-97 on Monday at the Paycom Center, a result that not only snapped a historic streak, but also raised red flags for the NBA champion team.
With the loss, Oklahoma City ended a string of 24 consecutive victories against Eastern Conference teams, a streak that had remained intact since last season and reflected the Thunder’s absolute dominance against opponents from the other side of the bracket. It was also their second consecutive loss in less than 24 hours at home, after losing the night before to the Phoenix Suns on a three-pointer by Devin Booker.
Hornets humiliate Thunders
– Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) January 6, 2026
The Thunder, who boast a 30-7 record, had started the season on such a solid pace that they drew statistical comparisons to the Golden State Warriors of the historic 2015-16 season, a team that finished with a 73-9 record.
However, in recent weeks the team led by Mark Daigneault has shown an uncharacteristic fragility, especially in defense and control of the pace of the game.
The loss to Charlotte was significant not only because of the opponent – the Hornets are 13-23 and occupy elimination spots in the East – but because it represented Oklahoma City’s biggest loss so far this season and to the team with the worst record to beat them so far.
Shai keeps his streak alive, but falls short
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with his 204th game with 30+ points. That passes Patrick Ewing for 40th most on the NBA’s All-Time list. pic.twitter.com/AXJh6y7f7W
– OKC Thunder Stats (@ThunderNumbers) January 3, 2026
Individually, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was again the Thunder’s main offensive reference with 21 points, enough to extend his impressive streak of 108 consecutive games scoring at least 20 points.
The Canadian shooting guard continues to close in on Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time record of 126 straight games, but his effort was not enough to avoid the tough collective setback.
Oklahoma City had trouble containing Charlotte’s transitions and never managed to impose its usual rhythm, something that was reflected in the final difference.
Brandon Miller leads the surprise
🏀 MONDAY’S FINAL SCORES 🏀
Brandon Miller shines for the @hornets in their road win over the Thunder!
Kon Knueppel: 23 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST, 5 3PM
Miles Bridges: 17 PTS, 11 REB, 4 AST
LaMelo Ball: 16 PTS, 4 3PM https://t.co/vV50zeZvno pic.twitter.com/AsbF3yau3O– NBA (@NBA) January 6, 2026
On the Hornets’ side, Brandon Miller was the great figure of the night with 28 points, confirming his growth as one of the key pieces of Charlotte’s project.
He was joined in his performance by Kon Knueppel, who contributed 23 units, and Miles Bridges, who signed a solid double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Charlotte played with confidence from the start, took advantage of the opponent’s defensive mistakes and dominated the game from start to finish, which is rare against the best team in the league.
Despite this brief losing streak (5-5 in their last ten games), the Thunder are still the best team in the NBA, with two fewer losses than the Detroit Pistons (27-9), their closest pursuers.
For Charlotte, the victory does not immediately change their position in the standings, but it does represent an important boost for a young team looking to close the season with positive signs.
For Hispanic fans in the United States, this result confirms that the NBA remains unpredictable, even when the best team in the league and one of the bottom teams in the East face off.
Filed under: Hornets humiliate Thunders
