Charlotte humbles OKC with 27-point demolition

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Charlotte Hornets bagged their biggest win of the ongoing NBA regular season after crushing the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, 124-97, on Jan. 6, 2026, at the Paycom Center.

Aside from taking down the No. 1 team in the NBA, the Hornets also handed the Thunder its worst loss of the season since the San Antonio Spurs’ 20-point drubbing last Dec. 24, 2025.

After picking up a momentum-boosting victory over the Chicago Bulls, which ended their three-game losing streak, the visiting Charlotte squad had more reasons to go all out, especially against the best team so far in the 2025–26 season.

The Hornets immediately blew the gates wide open as they raced to a 21-9 lead in the first quarter, led by Brandon Miller, who was feeling it early from the perimeter and the three-point line.

However, Ajay Mitchell and Chet Holmgren joined hands to help restore order for the Thunder as they avoided a deep hole, equalizing the ball game at 33-all before the second frame kicked off.

Just when Oklahoma thought it could sustain its high-low post plays to Holmgren, the Hornets had other plans and fed the waxing-hot hands of Miller, who ignited a demoralizing 15-4 run midway through the second.

Unfortunately, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the Thunder went cold from the field, which the Hornets took advantage of to mount a 17-point lead, 67-50, at the half.

Charlotte picked up where it left off as LaMelo Ball caught fire in the third to backstop Miller, as well as Miles Bridges, who put pressure on OKC’s interior defense with his relentless attacks to the basket.

The Thunder attempted to spoil Charlotte’s performance with a quick 8-0 burst to start the final frame, but Kon Knueppel shot the lights out midway through the fourth, ballooning the Hornets’ lead back to 25 points.

With still five minutes left in the ball game, OKC head coach Mark Daigneault threw in the towel and subbed out all of his core star players, including SGA, who was held to a dismal 7-of-21 shooting from the field.

Leading the way in Charlotte’s stunning win was Miller, who had his second-best scoring performance of the season with 28 points built from seven three-pointers, alongside six rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

Knueppel also boosted his case for this year’s Rookie of the Year honors after another solid outing of 23 markers, five boards, and five assists.

On the other hand, OKC just suffered its second losing streak of the season and will aim to bounce back on Jan. 8 when it faces the Utah Jazz on its home floor.

During OKC’s back-to-back losses, reigning MVP SGA failed to score more than 30 points, dropping only 21 markers against the Hornets and 25 in their past loss against the Suns.