CHARLOTTE Hornets handed NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder their most lopsided loss of the season with a 124-97 drubbing in the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season on Monday night (Tuesday in the Philippines) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Brandon Miller led Charlotte with 28 points, while Kon Knueppel chipped in 23 as the Hornets snapped recent struggles and held Oklahoma City below 100 points for the first time this season.
Charlotte jumped out to a 21–9 lead before Oklahoma City regrouped behind reserve Ajay Mitchell, whose 10 points off the bench helped tie the game at 33 by the end of the first quarter.
The Hornets regained control in the second period, building a 67–50 halftime advantage. Charlotte extended its cushion early in the third quarter with a highlight play from LaMelo Ball to make it 74–55.
Miller beat the third-quarter buzzer with a three-pointer to push the lead to 99–71, and the Hornets stayed in control the rest of the way to seal the convincing road win.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander paced Oklahoma City with 21 points, extending his streak of 20-point games to 108 — the second-longest in NBA history. The loss was the Thunder’e second straight and only its second home defeat of the season. They dropped to 30–7.
Meanwhile, Kevin Durant knocked down a three-pointer from the right wing with a second remaining as Houston Rockets pulled off a 100-97 victory against his former team, Phoenix Suns.
Durant finished with a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. added 17 markers apiece, while Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard had 12 and 11, respectively, for Houston, which were without star center Alperen Sengun due to an injury.
Devin Booker paced the Suns with 27 points, Royce O’Neale and Dillon Brooks added 15 markers apiece, while Collins Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin ended with 11 each.
In other results, Detroit Pistons clobbered New York Knicks, 121-90; Toronto Raptors prevailed over Atlanta Hawks, 118-100; and Boston Celtics mauled Chicago Bulls, 115-101./PN
