The Charlotte Hornets and the Phoenix Suns proved that the Oklahoma City Thunder can be beaten. On Monday, OKC looked to get back to the win column. They had just lost to the Suns, 108-105, after Devin Booker crushed their hearts with a clutch 3-pointer on Sunday. They couldn’t recover and suffered a 124-97 loss to the Hornets at Paycom Center.
OKC stars struggled to find their rhythm, even though they were already at home. Reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 21 points on 33.3% shooting. Additionally, SGA only shot six free throws in the game. His co-star, Jalen Williams, finished with 16 points and two steals.
The 27-point dominance by the Hornets, who are 13-23, was unexpected. Fans were taken aback by how the defending champions were dismantled by a team that is No. 12 in the Eastern Conference.
BREAKING: The Thunder just lost by 27 points at home to the 12–23 Hornets.
They are now 6-6 in their last 12 games. pic.twitter.com/yDE25gv428
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 6, 2026
Fans demanded answers following the loss.
“2024 Celtics would WAX these frauds,” a fan said.
“Wemby really broke them😳” another fan commented.
“When SGA can’t flop to the FT line 26 times, they lose. Weird,” one fan said.
“I don’t EVER want to hear mvp talks for this man compare them to the 16 Warriors,” someone commented.
“End of the 1-year dynasty? Victor really humbled this team!” a comment read.
“Are they cooked?” a fan asked.
SGA addressed the Thunder’s loss at home
It was a tough loss for the Thunder, especially since it was on their home turf. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pointed out the difference in energy between them and the Hornets. According to three-time All-Star, OKC didn’t match the energy that Charlotte had.
“I don’t think we brought the energy and multiple efforts on both ends of the floor,” he said. “From the get, they were just ahead of us on both ends of the floor.”
Coach Mark Daigneault didn’t want to use the scheduling as an excuse for the Thunder’s defeat. Their contest against the Hornets was the second game of a back-to-back. The 2024 Coach of the Year believes that it’s a bad habit for the team to blame the schedule after an embarrassing loss.
OKC looks to bounce back on Wednesday against the Utah Jazz, a team they’ve defeated twice this season.
