Milwaukee Bucks Blow Out Oklahoma City Thunder in Upset Win on the Road
In one of the more surprising upsets this season in the NBA, the Milwaukee Bucks made short work of the Oklahoma City Thunder as they cruised to a 110-93 win over the defending NBA champions on the road.
Bucks Three-Pointing Shooting Leads the Way in the Win
Despite going up against the best defense in the league in OKC, the Bucks looked fearless on offense throughout the game, as they rained in triple after triple to help seal the win. Milwaukee would end the game with 17 made threes, which they made at a very efficient 40% clip. That three-point barrage was led in part by AJ Green, who continued his recent hot streak from behind the line. The former standout at Northern Iowa knocked down 5 triples to finish the game with 17 points. Green is currently averaging 12 points on 42% shooting from three-point range in February.
Green wouldn’t be the only player making a difference on offense, as seemingly every player on Milwaukee had the hot hand in tonight’s win. Some of those players included Bobby Portis Jr. and Ousmane Dieng, who both provided ample scoring support on offense. Portis Jr. would finish with a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Dieng would follow Portis Jr’s example as he also picked up a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds.
While Milwaukee was deadly from beyond the arc, they were also aggressive in attacking the basket. The Bucks would score 44 points in the paint for the game, a feat not so easily accomplished against the size and tremendous rim-protecting ability that the Thunder possess.
Lackluster Offense on Full Display for Thunder in SGA’s Absence Yet Again
Since Thunder superstar and reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went down with an abdominal injury back on February 3, it hasn’t been smooth sailing on offense for Oklahoma City during this span. The Thunder would shoot just 37% from the field in the loss, one of their lowest shooting marks in a game this season. Although the Thunder were without both Jalen Williams and SGA, it was still a disappointing performance from the highly touted secondary players who have been crucial to the Thunder’s success this season.
Those disappointing performances came from players such as Chet Holmgren, Luguentz Dort, and Cason Wallace. All three players would score just 28 points combined, while also shooting an inefficient 10-for-31 from the floor as well. Only Holmgren would score in double figures and at least finish with a decent stat line of 16 points and 13 rebounds, but numbers can only tell one part of the story. The Thunder would have only three players in total score in double figures for the game.
Bucks Continue to Look Competitive While the Thunder’s Losses are Starting to Pile Up
After Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with a calf strain on January 23, it was widely expected that Milwaukee would simply throw in the towel this season. However, it’s been a complete reversal for the Bucks since the start of February, as tonight’s win marked their 5th win in the last six games. While their recent success has done very little to move them up the Eastern Conference standings, as they still sit at the 12th-place spot, they have shown that they still have some fight left in them this year.
For the Thunder, this latest loss now gives them their 14th loss on the season, a mark that many NBA fans previously thought Oklahoma City would never reach this season. The loss has also now severely loosened the Thunder’s grip on the top seed in the Western Conference, as the San Antonio Spurs now sit just two games away from taking control of the West. If the Thunder want any hope of building back up their lead and securing the top seed for the 3rd straight season, they’ll need to hope SGA heals up quickly.
