Another blemish has been added to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s record following another loss, this time to the Charlotte Hornets. During the postgame press conference, Chet Holmgren took accountability while he reflected on what went wrong.
Chet Holmgren Takes Accountability Following the Thunder’s Loss to the Hornets
Of all the Thunder’s losses so far this season, Monday night’s defeat to the Hornets might sting the most. They entered the game with a 30-6 record and had home-court advantage. The Hornets were coming into a hostile arena with 12 wins and 23 losses.
It should have been an easy win for the defending champs, but instead, the Hornets handed them their seventh loss of the season. Not only that, it happened in humiliating fashion as they were routed 97-124Â in front of their home crowd.
During the postgame press conference, Holmgren was asked if the team, as a whole, lacked focus and played down to the competition. Instead of making excuses, he credited the Hornets while admitting they failed to show up.
“They played a hell of a game,” Holmgren said. “They came out ready to roll. They brought their stuff and we didn’t bring our stuff.”
He also took personal accountability for the loss, saying, “I’d say credit to them. But there were areas we could’ve been better tonight. I could’ve been better.”
In almost 26 minutes of playing time, Holmgren scored 15 points on a 5-for-11 shooting clip. He also recorded six rebounds and dished out two assists. He had the second-lowest +/- with a -25.
Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also had an uncharacteristically bad shooting night. This season, he’s putting up the league’s second-highest scoring average with 31.6 per game on 54.8 percent shooting. Against the Hornets, he put up just 21 points on a 7-for-21 clip (33.3 percent).
Their leader’s performance reflected the Thunder’s performance as a squad. Overall, the whole team managed to sink only 36.6 percent of their shots, including 28.2 percent from behind the 3-point line. Meanwhile, the Hornets hit an outstanding 53.2 percent of their overall attempts, as well as 51.4 percent from beyond the arc.
The shooting percentage from the charity stripe told the same story, as the Hornets shot 92.0 (23-of-25) percent from there, while the Thunder hit just 66.7 (18-of-27).
The Hornets didn’t just outshoot the Thunder; they also kept them away from crashing the boards. Holmgren and company were outrebounded 52-33, with Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges wreaking the most havoc with 12 and 11 boards, respectively.
Among all the Hornets’ players, Brandon Miller shone the brightest with an impressive performance on both ends. He scored 28 points while hitting seven of the ten shots he took from long range. He also grabbed six boards and came away with two steals and two blocks.
This marks the second straight win for the Hornets and could mark the start of a push that helps them get into the top ten in the East.
Meanwhile, for the Thunder, it marks their second straight loss this season. This is also only the second time they’ve lost consecutive games this year, following their two-game losing streak to the San Antonio Spurs on December 23 and 25.
What’s scary for the rest of the league is that their loss to the Hornets could ignite the Thunder. They might come out hungrier, more determined, and more locked in, which could lead to another lengthy win streak.
