Monday night, the OKC Thunder did something they hadn't done all season -- they lost to a team below .500.
Not only did they lose, but they suffered their worst defeat of the season, falling by a final score of 124-97 to the, now, 13-23 Charlotte Hornets.
In the game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had arguably his worst performance of the season, as he shot 7-for-21 and had 21 points, barely keeping his streak of 20-point games alive.
The Thunder's "defense" failed to show up during this ill-fated affair, as they allowed Charlotte to shoot 52.6 percent from the field and 51.4 percent from long range.
OKC also got outrebounded 52-33.
This loss is the top-seed's second straight and brings them to a middling 6-6 record over their last 12 games after a 24-1 start to the season.
The Thunder can't ignore certain areas of their game for much longer
Along the way, coach Mark Daigneault has stressed the importance of playing solid defense, taking care of the basketball, and not relying on shots falling to win games.
However, sometimes good offense is going to beat good defense, and, when you are playing against a team of shotmakers, you are required to bring some firepower of your own.
The Thunder have been outshot in all six of their most recent losses, both from the floor and from three. They have shot under 32.0 percent from three in five of them, and under 29.0 percent in four of those five.
It's one thing to have an off-shooting night, but shooting sub-30.0 percent from beyond the arc creates a nearly insurmountable task for a defense to overcome.
The Thunder may be too lopsided
OKC has focused so much of their attention and efforts on the defensive side of the basketball that nearly all of their guards not named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are defensive specialists.
Alex Caruso, Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, and Ajay Mitchell are all formidable defenders, but three of the four are currently shooting under 30.0 percent from three in games the Thunder have lost, and the other (Dort) has just a 33.8 percent three-point shooting percentage over the course of the season.
With Shai getting pressured more and more, the Thunder might need to look at some available sharpshooting options before the trade deadline passes in February. As of right now, his kick-out options simply aren't getting the job done.
As the Thunder have seen recently from the likes of Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, and Victor Wembanyama, good shooters can make shots over good defenses.
OKC's recent skid might be serving as a warning to general manager Sam Presti, and he may need to take note of it before it's too late.