Hornets' attempt to shock the NBA world and upset SGA, Thunder falls short

A pesky Hornets squad couldn't bring home the dub against OKC.

Matt Alquiza | 17 Hours Ago

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets did all they could. Charles Lee's squad entered tonight's contest against the Western Conference leading Oklahoma City Thunder as lopsided underdogs who's upset chances only got longer once LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller were ruled out.

In true 2024 Hornets fashion, an undermanned unit gave the Thunder everything they could handle for four quarters. OKC pulled out to a double digit lead in the first half, and although Charlotte never really made an earnest dent into said lead, they remained pesky for four quarters in their upset bid.

All five Charlotte starters would up with double digit point totals, led by Miles Bridges' 19 and Vasilije Micic's 16, but it wasn't enough to shock the NBA world.

Best of the night: Slowing down Shai

The Thunder offense is a heliocentric unit that orbits around the individual brilliance of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Oklahoma City's slithery point guard is second to only Giannis Antetokounmpo in points per game and Nikola Jokic in MVP betting odds - he has a stake to claim the title of 'best player in the Association.' SGA averages 31 points a night, and Charlotte held him to 22 this evening in the Queen City.

Credit to Charles Lee for this one. Charlotte threw a bevy of looks in Gilgeous-Alexander's direction, defending him with Hornets of all shapes and sizes in an attempt to slow one of the league's preeminent scorers.

Worst of the night: Interior defense

Much like Washington on Thursday night, Oklahoma City paraded to the cup and got whatever they wanted against Charlotte's porous interior defense. The Hornets hyper-focus on slowing down SGA on the perimeter created cutting and driving lanes for his open teammates all evening. It would take me three hands to count the number of well-timed back door cuts that led to Thunder layups.

Stat of the night: Charlotte's 36.3% field goal percentage

The Hornets offense is sunk down deep in muck and mire. Without their two dominant scorers, Charlotte was forced to scrounge together offense by committee without a true singular threat when they possessed the ball. Putting up 94 points against the league's most efficient defense (although OKC was missing three of their best perimeter defenders) is no small feat, especially for a team with Charlotte's current dearth of health.

However, in order to win games in the NBA, you have to shoot better than 36.3%. The Hornets manufactured decent looks, but like most nights recently, they failed to find the bottom of the net.

Highlight of the night: Seth Curry's put back leads to a three-point play

Right place! Right time! #HiveMentality | @hornets pic.twitter.com/nXTZLQDrSN
— Hornets On FanDuel Sports Network (@FDSN_Hornets) December 28, 2024

Look at Seth Curry sticking his nose amongst the trees! In an admittedly light night for highlights, Curry deserves praise for his effort levels on this first quarter tip in.