OKLAHOMA CITY — The Thunder is finding the roles of contender and champion to be very different.

Led by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the young squad won the NBA title last season after years of showing promise.

Oklahoma City started this season with a 24-1 record, matching the best 25-game start in league history. The possibility of the Thunder bettering Golden State's 73-9 regular season record from 2015-16 became a popular topic among the league's fans and experts.

Then, cracks developed in the Thunder's seemingly impenetrable armor. The Spurs beat them three times in two weeks, including a 15-point win on Christmas Day.

Monday night's lesson was different, though. It was a humbling 124-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, a team that entered the night with a 12-23 record.

Gilgeous-Alexander said it isn't time to overreact.

"There's a lot of games left in the season," he said. "We've won big. We've lost big. Some nights are going to be bad. Some nights are going to be great. But, regardless, you have to try to get better the next day. I think that's what allows you to, I guess you can say, be resilient. It's hard, obviously, but the best teams do it, and that's who we're trying to be."

It's strange that a Thunder team with a 30-7 record and a 98-21 regular-season mark since the start of last season is drawing such scrutiny. But it is 6-6 since the incredible start to this season, and the losses to the Spurs made it seem closer to the pack.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said games like Monday's help his team understand what a game against them means for their opponents.

"When you win the championship, and you start the way we started, it comes with the territory," he said. "I think it gives you a unique opportunity to really improve through that. It's a competitive privilege to be a team that other teams are up to play for."

The Thunder didn't rise to the occasion Sunday against Phoenix, or Monday against Charlotte. They lost consecutive games for just the second time this season.

Daigneault finds value in the tests, even when the team fails.

"It forces you to rise to that," he said."And if you can, you really can get better and stronger as a result of that. And if you don't, you learn the lesson. So we got to learn the lessons in these ones."

One of the strangest developments has been how the Thunder has not been as effective since 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams has returned from wrist surgery. It is 18-2 without him in the starting lineup and 12-5 with him.

Oklahoma City has dealt with numerous other injuries throughout this season, with Chet Holmgren missing several games. Even against Charlotte, the Thunder was missing starting center Isaiah Hartenstein and key reserves Alex Caruso and Jaylin Williams.

"You have to approach it with the right level of gravity," Holmgren said. "You can't just brush it off and wipe the film and say on to the next, but you also can't overreact and allow the emotions of obviously losing a game — nobody likes to lose — you can't let that take over and pull you in the wrong direction."

Daigneault said he's not worried.

"When the wind's in your face, you've got to endure," he said. "You've got to have the resilience and the toughness to continue to compete, stay together and focus on the controllable execution of things that help you change course. And so that's what we'll do. That's what we've always done."

AP