Brandon Miller erupted for 28 points as the Charlotte Hornets delivered a stunning 124-97 blowout of the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
Kon Knueppel chipped in 23 points for Charlotte, which snapped a recent skid by handing Oklahoma City its worst loss of the season. The 97 points marked a season low for the Thunder and the first time they failed to reach the 100-point mark. The Hornets seized control early, racing to a 21-9 lead before Oklahoma City responded to tie the game at 33 after one quarter behind 10 bench points from Ajay Mitchell.
Charlotte regained momentum in the second quarter and carried a 67-50 advantage into halftime, fueled by 19 first-half points from Miller. Oklahoma City struggled at the free-throw line, going just 8-of-15 before the break, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was limited to nine points on 3-of-12 shooting. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 21 points, extending his streak to 108 consecutive games with at least 20 points, the second-longest in NBA history, despite shooting 7-of-21 and sitting out the fourth quarter due to the lopsided score.
The Hornets broke the game open in the third quarter with a highlight-reel play from LaMelo Ball, who saved a ball from going out of bounds and converted a one-legged jumper near the corner to push the lead to 74-55. Miller capped the period with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to make it 99-71, and Charlotte cruised from there. The Thunder, now 30-7 after starting the season 24-1, suffered their second straight loss and second home defeat.
Charlotte hosts Toronto on Wednesday, while Oklahoma City remains home to face Utah.
