3 takeaways from Thunder loss to Bucks in rematch
After falling behind by 22 points, the Oklahoma City Thunder put on a comeback run against the Milwaukee Bucks. A strong start to the fourth quarter pulled the deficit to seven.
They wouldn’t get closer, though, as Milwaukee Bucks stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton put the game away and handed the Thunder a 98-85 loss.
In a game with little offense, the Thunder were unable to produce with all three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Theo Maledon and Al Horford in the lineup for the first time since Feb. 1.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 14 points on 3-for-12 shooting. Five Thunder players scored at least 10, but Lu Dort’s 17 points on 6-for-16 shooting was the highest output on the team.
Antetokounmpo had another monster game, finishing with 29 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists, while Middleton provided 20 points and eight rebounds.
Oklahoma City’s defense was very strong, but the offense couldn’t match the output.
The Thunder defense was on
The Bucks entered the night averaging more than 119 points per game, the second-most in the NBA behind only the Brooklyn Nets. For the second time in a week, the Thunder held them well below this number. On Sunday, Milwaukee posted 109 in the Thunder's five-point victory. On Friday, despite the OKC loss, the Bucks put up just 98, the second-fewest they have all season (and one night removed from 96, their fewest of the season). "We really upped our competitiveness and attention to detail," head coach Mark Daigneault said. "That’s a team that kind of brings that out of you because you know what they’re capable if you don’t." The Bucks had just two fastbreak points and 38 in the paint. They shot 40.7% from the field and 32.4% from 3. The Thunder were very strong on that side of the ball against one of the premier teams in the NBA. "I do see our group really trying to be committed on the defensive end," Horford said. "We're figuring out that we have to be able to bring that every night defensively. It’s not easy, but I do feel like we’re having some growth and we're moving in that direction."
The Thunder have created an expectation of comebacks
It felt like there was an air of inevitability when the Thunder went on a 16-3 run from the end of the third quarter through the first five-plus minutes of the fourth quarter. Over the final 33 seconds of the third, Lu Dort hit a layup and Isaiah Roby hit a 3. Hamidou Diallo finished an alley-oop off an Al Horford assist to open the fourth. Diallo then assisted a Kenrich Williams bucket and a Horford bucket. When Theo Maledon hit a jumper off another Diallo assist with about seven minutes to play, the Thunder cut the deficit down to 10. They got it as close as seven before Antetokounmpo and Middleton scored a combined seven straight points to double the Bucks' lead. "We were a play or two from getting ourselves back in the game," Daigneault said. The Thunder couldn't fight back into it, but the fact that they chopped that 22-point deficit down to single digits wasn't surprising. It has become an expectation that the team will make the game competitive. "It's a sign of progress. we want to be competitive in every game. we want to win every game," Daigneault said. "But more importantly, we're just trying to get better."
Multiple reasons for offensive struggles
The Thunder didn't score more than 23 points in a single quarter. Their 85 points was second-fewest of the season. These offensive struggles seemed to stem from a combination of things. First off, Milwaukee can still put together vicious defensive performances, even in this down stretch they've experienced. They contested well and loaded up the middle of the floor where Oklahoma City loves to attack. "They defended and brought that attention to detail to the game that made us earn everything on offense," Daigneault said. "They force you to settle for jumpshots when they’re in that mode." That especially impacted Gilgrous-Alexander, whose biggest strength is driving to the rim and finishing. He only made three shots on Friday and finished with 14 points. Daigneault didn't think that this defense was the only reason Gilgeous-Alexander struggled, though. "He's had some success against similar defenses," Daigneault said. "He's still getting his legs back underneath him, I think, and his rhythm back. I didn't think he looked like himself tonight. It's possible that the whole team is trying to recalibrate with their normal lineup. Gilgeous-Alexander, Maledon and Horford were all in the lineup for the first time since Feb. 1. After two and a half weeks without all three -- and at times playing with no guard -- the team is adjusting back to a normal lineup that is now only missing George Hill and the G League players. Even if it takes a couple games for Gilgeous-Alexander to get back into form, we've seen flashes of what he adds. The Thunder struggled to create offense in crunch time without him over the last couple weeks, and his penetration in the fourth quarter on Friday led to looks that the Thunder couldn't consistently get without him. Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game that his conditioning isn't quite normal, but he felt better than he did in his return against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. "Just a bad night. I missed a couple easy ones, missed a bunch of free throws, shots that I usually make," he said. "I'm not really too worried. Just one of them nights and I’ll be better for next game." This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!
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