On Monday, the Charlotte Hornets defeated the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, on the road in dominating fashion, scoring 124 points and holding the champs to 97.
Hornets' forwards, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel, shone bright in the team win with 28 and 23 points a piece on efficient shooting, but that wasn't the most eye-opening thing about the win.
Charlotte entered the game as a 15-point underdog and ended up winning by nearly 30 points, with its defense a significant element of the win, particularly against the reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
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The Hornets surprisingly held SGA to below his standards on Monday
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with just 21 points on 33 percent shooting from the field, which were both easily his lowest of the season.
The Hornets also did a nice job of preventing Gilgeous-Alexander from getting to the free-throw line, as he had only six total attempts in Monday's loss.
It was shocking to see how well the Hornets were able to contain the three-time all-star, as it typically has not been a problem for the MVP to find ways to score, whether it be from the charity stripe or the coveted mid-range area, combined with the fact that Charlotte is ranked at the bottom of the league in defensive rating.
Even the best players in the world have an off night. However, whether the defense or SGA himself is to blame, it is worth noting as the Hornets hope for a mid-season push toward the postseason. If that is going to happen, Monday's win over the reigning champions was a great start to that goal.
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