Cold Shooting Cripples Thunder In Loss To Hornets

The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered their worst loss of the year on Monday night as they fell to the Hornets 124-97. This marks the OKC’s seventh loss of the season and its second in a row, as the Thunder lost both games in their back-to-back set.

It’s hard to find a positive about Monday night’s game since nothing would’ve pushed the Thunder over the hump of their bad shooting performance. Oklahoma City had its worst shooting performance of the year as it shot 36.6% from the floor and only scored 97 points. This was the Thunder’s lowest point total of the year and the only time they have failed to reach 100 points in a game this season.

OKC had the same luck from beyond the arc as they did everywhere else on the court, as they shot an ugly 28% from three. Not even Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could give the Thunder a spark as the MVP shot 33% from the field Monday night and 1-6 from three.

Oklahoma City even struggled at the free-throw line, as an 83.7% free throw shooting team shot only 67% from the line. Oklahoma City just seemed to be out of sorts tonight, and OKC could not seem to hold onto a stretch of efficient basketball.

On the opposing side, Charlotte showcased one of its best games of the season. The Hornets shot 53% from the field and an impressive 51% from beyond the arc. Brandon Miller torched the Thunder as he shot 50% from the field and made seven threes on 70% shooting.

Charlotte also converted at the charity stripe, making 23 of its 25 free throws and leaving nothing up to chance against the defending champs.

Oklahoma City did its best on the defensive side of the ball to try to stop the bleeding, causing 21 turnovers and scoring 29 points off the Hornets' mistakes. However, it was nowhere near enough, and Charlotte walked away with Monday night’s bout easily.

This game is a prime example of how Oklahoma City is going to get every team’s best game, no matter what the circumstances may be. The Thunder found themselves in the middle of a rough patch tonight and were not ready for the stellar play of the Hornets.

This should not alarm Thunder fans, however, as just a month ago, this was the team that nobody thought could lose. No team is perfect, and OKC is going to have rough games like this in the future. The Thunder still sit atop the West with their future in their hands, and this team has proven that one game doesn’t define who it is.