Brandon Miller came one point shy of his season high with 28 points and was the only productive player for the Charlotte Hornets as they lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 126-106.

Summary

The Hornets looked overmatch from the jump. They were deterred from attacking the rim by the Thunder’s length and physicality. They had a hard time getting through an entire possession without a pass getting tipped or a shot getting blocked. It was a stark contrast from what was happening on the other end of the floor, where Thundermen were wandering wide open all over the place with Hornets scrambling trying to figure out who to guard. After one, the Hornets trailed 39-19.

The second quarter picked up right where the first left off. PJ Washington turned the ball over and it turned into a layup on the other end. The Hornets rookies of all people were the ones to steady the ship. Brandon Miller and Nick Smith Jr. combined for 11 points in a several minute stretch where the Hornets outscored the Thunder. That positive run of play was nothing more than a fleeting moment though. The first quarter woes returned and the Thunder ran out to a 31 point lead at the half. The Thunder shot 60% from the field compared to 38% for the Hornets.

Miller got a technical for arguing with the official’s going into the locker room for halftime. He stayed fired up coming out of the break and hit a three to open the second half. He scored nine quick points in the early part of the third quarter as the Hornets outscored the Thunder for a little bit. It was short lived again though. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander asserted himself and started getting to the line over and over and over again to help the Thunder restore their 30 point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Good

Brandon Miller was just about the only player that looked like he belonged on the same floor as the Thunder. He navigated their physical defense and got to his spots better than any other Hornet could, and he showed off his sharpshooting when he got looks from deep, not all of which were easy.

Leaky Black made a career high three 3-pointers and scored a career high 11 points. He had a few moments where he maybe could have been a little more aggressive looking for his shot, but he knows his role. But perhaps more interesting than any on floor contribution was when Black left the game. He was subbed out as part of the exodus of rotation players leaving the game in garbage time. He is firmly ahead of the likes of JT Thor and James Bouknight in the rotation.

Bryce McGowens had this kinda dunk over Chet Holmgren. He was pretty aggressive attacking the rim all game.

BRYCE MCGOWENS POSTER 💥 pic.twitter.com/aq8z6KKazR

— Bally Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnBally) February 3, 2024

A couple of them came in garbage time, but Nick Smith Jr. hit three 3-pointers to keep up his campaign for best rookie 3-point shooter.

The Bad

The Hornets looked like they were playing 5 on 6 when the Thunder were trying and played even ball with the Thunder once the Thunder went into cruise control. It was an overwhelming mismatch, and not just from a talent perspective. The Thunder were much more organized and assertive with their decision making. There is a talent for being in that right place and reading situations, but there is a lot of coaching and systematic stuff that goes into that. On defense, the Hornets kept getting caught with players guarding no one while Thunder players were getting wide open look. The opposite was happening on the other end. The Hornets were slow making decisions with the ball and never had any open options. Everything was contested. It was the kind schematic mismatch you’d expect to see if a college team was playing an NBA team.

The Thunder basically got to use this as a pseudo night off for some of their guys. Josh Giddey and Lu Dort only played 19 minutes each. Chet Holmgren only played 23. They simply weren’t needed.

Miles Bridges looked off. His streak of games with 20+ points was snapped with a nine point, 3-of-16 shooting performance. He took a normal amount of shots on the whole, but it seemed like they were forced up in bunches that had little chance of going in, then he’d disappear for a while.

PJ Washington had a bad game as well. 2-of-9 shooting and five turnovers.

Both Bridges and Washington were badly bothered by the Thunder’s length. They only took tough shots and had a couple of turnovers where they got deterred by length with no plan of what to do and threw the ball away.

What’s Next

The Hornets fly back to Charlotte to prepare for a three game home stand. It starts with a visit from the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.