The Milwaukee Bucks picked up a huge 118-93 win on their home court last night against the Western Conference’s top team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is the Bucks’ second win in a row after defeating the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center on Thursday. Oklahoma City simply got outclassed last night, not only getting out-rebounded, but the Thunder looked atrocious from beyond the arc going 10 for 43 which adds to a measly 23 percent.
On Tuesday, we’ll see the second game of the Bucks’ two-game home stand as they’ll face the Los Angeles Lakers. With this win, Milwaukee improves to 46-25, while the Thunder drop to 49-21. The loss removes the Thunder as the Western Conference’s one seed, as they are now a half-game behind the Denver Nuggets. Oklahoma City will head to New Orleans with a matchup pending against the Pelicans on Tuesday night.
Milwaukee Bucks Make Powerful Statement in Win over the Thunder
No team could keep a precise lead during the first two-quarters of action. The Bucks had the biggest lead of the first half at nine points, but the Thunder quickly bounced back to make it a very intriguing first half. Milwaukee would walk back to the locker room after two-quarters of play with a 48-47 lead. From the play of the first half, the Thunder looked like the better three-point shooting team as they went six for 20 from downtown compared to the Bucks four for 17.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with a double-double through 18 and a half minutes of play with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Brook Lopez followed with 10 points. Damian Lillard struggled in that first half as he went one for eight from the field with just two points. Josh Giddey led all scorers with 15 points to go along with his five rebounds, and six assists. Jalen Williams recorded 13 points.
During the third quarter of this matchup is when the Bucks outmatched, and outplayed the Thunder on both ends of the floor. With less than 10 minutes remaining in the third, the Bucks would start a 16-0 run, which culminated in the Bucks taking a 17-point lead. Milwaukee would outscore Oklahoma City 34-17 after the first-half break, and heading into the fourth, the Bucks would hold an 82-64 lead.
In the final quarter of play, the Thunder had no chance to make a comeback. The Bucks would grow their lead at one point to 25, and never look back. Oklahoma City would suffer a terrible 118-93 loss. After shooting 30 percent from three in the first half, the Thunder went four for 23 which adds to a horrible 17 percent. They were also out-rebounded 29 to 16.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 30 points in addition to having 19 rebounds, four assists, and a block. Bobby Portis Jr. scored 15, while Brook Lopez had 14 points. Damian Lillard finished this game with 11 points going four for 12 from the field. After leading the Thunder in scoring during the first half, Josh Giddey only scored four points in both the third and fourth quarters while Jalen Williams had just five points. It would be Aaron Wiggins who led the Thunder in scoring during the second half with eight points.
