Hornets have given the rest of the NBA the blueprint to ending Thunder’s reign

Before Monday, it looked like the Oklahoma City Thunder would sleepwalk past the entire league on the way to a second consecutive title. However, the Charlotte Hornets exposed a chink in their armor, outperforming them convincingly in the 3-point department and throwing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out of his rhythm.

Other teams should take note, as the Hornets' convincing 124-97 victory on Monday proved Oklahoma City isn't as invulnerable as it had looked like earlier in the season.

The reigning champion began the regular season with a 24-1 record before losing five of its next 11 games to enter its Hornets tiff with a 30-6 standing. It was still nothing to scoff at, as the Thunder are well ahead of the pack in the league standings.

It's worth noting that three of OKC's six losses came against the San Antonio Spurs. In addition, only two of those defeats were blowouts, which were also dealt by the Spurs.

So, the original blueprint for handily beating the Thunder in this campaign was originally laid out by San Antonio. However, not every squad has a cheat code of a player in Victor Wembanyama. Fortunately for the league, Charlotte proved you don't need an alien to win decisively against Gilgeous-Alexander and company.

An upset for the ages

Each of the Hornets' core trio of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel shot better than 57 percent from beyond the arc. They combined for 16-24 from three, and the squad went 19-37 to finish with a 51.4 percent efficiency from long range. At the same time, they hounded the Thunder's perimeter shooters to an 11-39 shooting clip (28.2 percent).

History has also shown that winning the 3-point battle by a significant margin can help upend the Thunder. The Spurs on Christmas Day and the Phoenix Suns on Sunday achieved the same feat, as did the Dallas Mavericks in their conference semifinals showdown in the 2024 playoffs.

Of course, Charlotte and most other NBA clubs can't always go hot from long range. It seemed like everything was falling for Buzz City on Monday; even Ball's one-legged 3-pointer while falling out of bounds at the baseline to beat the shot clock found the bottom of the net.

The Hornets, though, didn't just get lucky against OKC, as the outside shooting explosion was a product of hard work and an offensive system that prioritizes the three-ball, for better or for worse.

As mentioned, the Hornets also put the clamps on Gilgeous-Alexander, who ended his evening with 21 points and 7-21 shooting from the field. It was a collective effort from the Hive as Miller's length, Moussa Diabate's impressive help defense, particularly on switches, Sion James's rugged coverage, and Josh Green's surprisingly quick feet made life hell for the MVP frontrunner. Perhaps the most notable aspect of their defense on SGA was their discipline, as the superstar who has gained notoriety for being a free-throw merchant made just six trips to the charity stripe.

So, if other teams, particularly those from the West, want to dethrone Oklahoma City, they should watch how Charlotte put itself in the best position to upset the league's top squad.