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OKC Thunder's NBA-record win streak vs East ends in blowout loss to LaMelo Ball, Hornets
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- OKC Thunder's NBA-record win streak vs East ends in blowout loss to LaMelo Ball, Hornets
OKC 's in-house host did all he could to pump up the crowd at Paycom Center before the start of the fourth quarter.
It's a tradition at Thunder home games, and it's always an effective way of creating an electric atmosphere for the final 12 minutes of regulation. But he wasn't able to breathe life into the arena on Monday.
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Brandon Miller had already taken the air out of the place by drilling a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the third quarter. One of the many soul-crushing shots delivered by Charlotte , which ultimately stunned everyone by earning a 124-97 win over the reigning NBA champions .
"Credit to them," Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said of the Hornets. "They did a really good job of attacking us on the offensive end. They did a really good job of guarding us. They made the game hard on us and obviously outplayed us thoroughly for 48 minutes."
Monday's loss snapped an NBA-record 24-game winning streak against Eastern Conference teams for the Thunder, dating back to last Jan. 8 at Cleveland .
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 21 points and six assists. Chet Holmgren added 15 points and six rebounds for the Thunder (30-7).
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Miller led the Hornets (13-23) with 28 points and six rebounds. Kon Knueppel added 23 points and five assists.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
Order new book on Thunder's run to NBA title
More: What will 2026 bring for OKC Thunder? 26 bold predictions for reigning NBA champions
Ajay Mitchell can change a quarter
When you need to change a quarter, call No. 25.
That has been the solution as of late for Daigneault, who has turned to Ajay Mitchell with hopes of dialing up the intensity.
It happened Sunday against Phoenix , which claimed momentum early in the third quarter before the backup guard checked in. He scored four points in his first minute and 36 seconds of action while also playing some physical defense.
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And it happened again during the first quarter of Monday's game against Charlotte, which held a 21-9 lead at the 5:42 mark when Mitchell's number was called. He then scored five points in his first 48 seconds and even swiped the ball away from LaMelo Ball .
Despite only being a sophomore, Mitchell has shown an ability to thrive when thrusted into tough situations. It's a big reason why he's a Sixth Man of the Year candidate who entered Monday with averages of 13.9 points, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals.
And even though OKC lost to Charlotte by 27 points, Mitchell only finished with a plus-minus of negative-five. He recorded 11 points, three steals and three rebounds in 24 minutes.
More: Why Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell is no longer NBA's best-kept secret: 'He's cold'
Charlotte guard Sion James (4) fights for a rebound with Oklahoma City guard Kenrich Williams (34) and Oklahoma City center Branden Carlson (15) in the first quarter during an NBA game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Charlotte Hornets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.
OKC misses Isaiah Hartenstein 's presence on the boards
Isaiah Hartenstein is OKC's rock. An immovable boulder who can't be pushed out of the way when battling down low for a rebound.
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But when Moussa Diabaté overpowered Holmgren for an offensive board and a putback dunk midway through the second quarter, all Hartenstein could do was give a stone-faced expression as he watched from the bench.
The Thunder's starting center couldn't help if he wanted to. He wore a black zip-up hoodie and gray sweatpants instead of his uniform, unable to suit up for a fifth straight game due to a nagging right soleus (calf) strain .
And his absence has been felt.
OKC got outrebounded 52-33 on Monday without Hartenstein, who's averaging a team-high 10.4 boards per game. It has now been outrebounded by an average of 6.2 rebounds during Hartenstein's five-game absence, and it has given up an average of 14.6 offensive boards.
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"Obviously, Hart is huge for us," Holmgren said. "Everybody knows he's a monster on the glass. He's always been big for us in that department while he's been with us. I can't wait to have him back. He's doing everything he needs to do to take care of himself and get back to playing with us.
"But at the end of the day, it's less about attributing it to this or that. It's more about just being better in that area and getting it done."
More: Why Thunder's Isaiah Hartenstein always looks to 'give back' to OKC
It all starts with OKC's defense
OKC has gone 6-6 in its last 12 games.
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And while it has room for improvement in multiple areas like its rebounding, its half-court offense and its 3-point shooting, the main source of its struggles is no secret.
It all starts with the Thunder's defense, which has given up an average of 117 points in those six losses. Opponents have shot 47.5% from the field and 41.6% from deep.
Charlotte scored its 124 points on 53% shooting from the field and 51% shooting from deep. And it faced little resistance throughout the night against an OKC team that has the best defensive rating (105) in the NBA.
"The reason we're a really good defense is because we take what you want to do (away)," Holmgren said. "You wake up out of bed in the morning and you say, 'I want to do this tonight. I want to get to this. I want to shoot these shots.' And we take those away and force you to figure out the next thing. I feel like tonight we didn't do that. I feel like they were comfortable."
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More: How did Lu Dort, Thunder players buy in to OKC system? Sacrifice is 'for the better'
Tip-ins
∎ OKC was without Brooks Barnhizer (G League two-way), Alex Caruso (low back soreness), Ousmane Dieng (right calf strain), Isaiah Hartenstein (right soleus strain), Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgery recovery), Nikola Topić (surgery recovery) and Jaylin Williams (right heel bursitis).
∎ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in 108 straight games. It's the second-longest streak in NBA history, only trailing Wilt Chamberlain (126).
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com .
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TIPOFF:7 p.m. Wednesday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City (FanDuel Sports Network)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder suffers stunning loss to Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets
