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Milwaukee Bucks vs. Thunder preview (Game 56 of 82)

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Alex Roig

Milwaukee Bucks (22-30, 12th in the East) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (42-13, 1st in the West)
When: Thursday, 12 February 2026 at 6:30pm CST
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
TV: Prime Video / FDSN-OK
Offensive Rating: MIL: 113.0 (24th) / OKC: 118.1 (4th)
Defensive Rating: MIL: 116.7 (22nd) / OKC: 106.1 (1st)
Net Rating: MIL: -3.7 (23rd) / OKC: 12.0 (1st)
Current Streaks: MIL: Winners of 4 of their last 5 / OKC: Winners of 4 of their last 6

The Tip-Off

Dang it! You write about the man in the last gameday preview. He puts together his best game of the season. And then the Injury Monster rears it’s ugly head again. This has been a miserable season, health-wise, for Jalen Williams. Against the Suns, Dub was out there looking like All-Star Dub for the entirety of the game, putting on a clinic in the 3rd quarter. But on his single miss of the game, a fast-break lay-up attempt where he had to reach for the ball in full stride, he jogged back to the other side of the court and pointed to the bench while grabbing his hamstring. Timeout, Thunder. Dub heads back to the locker room, never to be seen again. Here’s hoping the All-Star break can help heal some of the Thunder’s walking wounded.

This is the second and final meeting of the season between these two bitter rivals (that’s the joke – they were matched up on rivalry week…for why? I don’t know). The Thunder won the first meeting 122-102, in a game where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 40 points, while Ajay Mitchell and Kenrich Williams each contributed 18 points apiece.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -13
O/U: 214.5

Injury Report

OKC

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – OUT (abdominal strain)
Branden Carlson – OUT (back spasms)
Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf)
Ajay Mitchell – OUT (abdominal strain)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)

MIL

Giannis Antetokounmpo – OUT (calf)
Kyle Kuzma – Questionable (foot)
Taurean Prince – OUT (neck)
Ryan Rollins – Questionable (foot)

Three Big Things

Hot-shooting Team – Both teams come into this game on shooting hot streaks over the past 10 days. Since Feb. 2nd, Milwaukee is 4th in FG% and 1st in 3pt FG%. During that same timespan, OKC is 11th in FG% and 4th in 3pt FG%. Granted, three of the teams that Milwaukee played in that timeframe are in the bottom 10 of defensive rating, but sometimes the opponent doesn’t really matter if you are riding a hot wave.
1…2…3…Cancun! – The game before the All-Star break has the possibility of being a weird game. Milwaukee comes into the game on a hot streak, with young players that want to prove themselves not only to the Bucks, but also to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Guys like Cam Thomas and Thunder legend Ousmane Dieng are getting the green light to put all their skills on display and it’s resulted in some spirited wins here lately. Meanwhile, the Thunder likely just want to get through this game unscathed, so their guys can get a week’s worth of rest.
Nikola Topic – It’s been a long road, but Nikola Topic will make his professional debut tonight. After rehabbing an ACL injury the entirety of his rookie season to battling testicular cancer in the first half of this season, Topic has traveled a journey that would break many. He made his G-League debut earlier this week and immediately looked like he belonged. He scored 7 points and dished out 7 assists in his first game with the Blue. The next night, he scored 22 points and handed out 4 assists. In the absence of SGA, Mitchell, and now, Dub, having Topic out there to facilitate and play-make will be a gift.

Thunder @ Milwaukee Bucks preview (Game 45 of 82)

Posted on January 21, 2026 by Alex Roig

Oklahoma City Thunder (36-8, 1st in the West) @ Milwaukee Bucks (18-24, 11th in the East)
When: Wednesday, 21 January 2026 at 8:30pm CST
Where: Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI
TV: ESPN / FDSN-OK
Offensive Rating: MIL: 113.0 (23rd) / OKC: 118.3 (5th)
Defensive Rating: MIL: 116.1 (20th) / OKC: 105.2 (1st)
Net Rating: MIL: -3.1 (24th) / OKC: 13.1 (1st)
Current Streaks: MIL: 2-4 in their last 6 / OKC: 6-1 in their last 7

The Set-Up

Is everyone ready for Rivalry Week? That time where we remember those great playoff series of years’ past between the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder. (?????) Who could ever forget the thrilling 5-OT game in 1989 between Milwaukee and OK(SEATTLE), in which the Bucks won 155-154. Or the epic 7-game series between Milwaukee and OK(SEATTLE) in 1980, where OK(Seattle) won 4-3 and the average margin of victory was 4 points? Many of us weren’t alive for some of those memorable thrillers between those two franchises. Here of late, we have the Giannis Antetokounmpo “foot on the line, botched call” game from 2017 and the NBA Cup blowout from last season. I mean the qualifications are very vague, but I guess there’s a rivalry.

OKC vs Bucks “Rivalry” gives me an excuse to tweet this clip

Westbrook ties the game with a 3 with 4 sec left, then Giannis steps out of bounds and dunks for the win lmao
pic.twitter.com/geWyvHC8tL https://t.co/gwMMIVsXh4

— Russ’ TD ⚡ (@RussFcb) January 21, 2026

This is the first of two meetings this season between the Thunder and Bucks. The Bucks beat the Thunder in the NBA Cup Final last season. That loss gave Oklahoma City a taste of what was to be expected in the playoffs and they rode that all the way to the championship.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -9.5
O/U: 226.5

Injury Report

OKC

Alex Caruso – OUT (groin)
Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Nikola Topic – OUT (cancer treatment)
Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)
Jaylin Williams – Questionable (back/glute)

MIL

Kevin Porter Jr – Questionable (oblique)
Taurean Prince – OUT (neck)
Myles Turner – Questionable (ankle)

Three Big Things

Three-Point Defense – Milwaukee has been a hodge-podge of inconsistency this year. The one thing that has been consistent, has been their 3-point shooting. They rank 6th in the league in 3-pointers made at 14.7 3-pointers made per game, 2nd in 3-pt percentage at 39.4%, 2nd in Effective FG%, and 6th in True Shooting %. The gravity that Giannis Antetokounmpo has allows players on the team to have OPEN looks from deep. Here’s a list of Milwaukee players who are shooting over 39% and their attempts per game: Bobby Portis (47.7% / 4.1 attempts), AJ Green (43.7% / 6.9 attempts), Ryan Rollins (39.2% / 5.7 attempts), and Myles Turner (39% / 5.8 attempts). Three-pointers account for 39% of Milwaukee’s points per game (5th highest in the league). With the Thunder’s ethos to play defense from inside out, this could be an issue if the Bucks players get hot from the outside.
Play Aggressive, Opportunistic Defense – The Milwaukee Bucks are the worst free-throw shooting team in the league, shooting 73.5% from the line. Of the players who average over two free-throw attempts per game, only Kevin Porter Jr. shoots over 80% from the line. Antetokounmpo averages nearly 10 free throw attempts per game, but only shoots 65% from the line. If a foul prevents an open three-point attempt, take the foul.
Attack the Bucks – The Bucks allow the 6th most free-throw attempts. While the interior defense is good with guys like Antetokounmpo and Turner, their perimeter defense can be very leaky. This should allow guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ajay Mitchell, and Aaron Wiggins to get into the teeth of the defense and either draw fouls or spray the rock out to open shooters.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Thunder preview (Game 23 of 82)

Posted on December 5, 2025 by Alex Roig

Dallas Mavericks (8-15, 12th in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (21-1, 1st in the West)
When: Friday, 05 December 2025 at 8:30pm CST
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
TV: Prime Video
Offensive Rating: DAL: 107.6 (30th) / OKC: 119.0 (5th)
Defensive Rating: DAL: 111.3 (4th) / OKC: 103.8 (1st)
Net Rating: DAL: -3.8 (22nd) / OKC: 15.1 (1st)
Streaks: DAL: 3 W’s in a row, 5-5 in last 10 / OKC: 13 W’s in a row

The Set-Up

The decision for when to start a rebuild has to be an extremely difficult one for an organization. Sometimes, it’s self-inflicted. Sometimes, it’s thrust upon you unexpectedly. But it’s a decision fraught with potholes, pitfalls, and doubt. A decision that can set your franchise back years, possibly decades. And, yet, for most every team, it’s a decision that needs to be made once every 10-15 years. For Oklahoma City, the team knew they needed a refresh after the departure of Kevin Durant and the subsequent first round exits of the Russell Westbrook/Paul George-led teams. But that weird transitional season was also needed to get off the previous train and jump onto a new one. The season with Chris Paul, a newly acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, rookie Lu Dort, potential 6th Man of the Year Dennis Schroder, and Steven Adams is one that lives happily in the minds of many Thunder fans, but also one that helped position the Thunder for what they currently are today.

Which brings me to the neighbors south of us, down I-35. Dallas is in a weird spot where they have some of the pieces needed to jump-start a rebuild (Cooper Flagg and Ryan Nembhard), but also are in a holding pattern with older stars such as Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and the currently injured Kyrie Irving. They aren’t winning, but they also aren’t losing enough. These next few months before the trade deadline will be very interesting in Dallas.

This is the 2nd of 3 meetings this season between these regional rivals. OKC won the first meeting 101-94, in Dallas, in a game that saw the Thunder big men dominate on the scoreboard and on the glass. Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jaylin Williams combined to score 38 points and grab 30 rebounds, with 6 of those being offensive.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -15
O/U: 229.5

Injury Report

OKC

Alex Caruso – OUT (quad)
Lu Dort – OUT (adductor strain)
Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Nikola Topic – OUT (cancer treatment)

DAL

Dante Exum – OFS (knee)
Daniel Gafford – Questionable (ankle)
Kyrie Irving – OUT (knee/ACL)
Dereck Lively – OUT (foot)
PJ Washington – Questionable (ankle)

Three Big Things

Ryan Nembhard – Last season, in the Finals, no players on the Indiana Pacers, outside of Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakim, had more of an impact against the Thunder than Andrew Nembhard. Dallas decided to take a chance on Andrew’s younger brother, Ryan, as an undrafted free agent this past summer. And over the past four games, all starts, Ryan Nembhard has been balling out and leading the Mavericks to a 3-1 record over that stretch. Nembhard has been averaging 17 points, 7.5 assists to 1.3 turnovers, and shooting an absurd 65% from the field and 67% from three over that 4-game stretch. The one game where he did struggle during that 4-game stretch was against the Los Angeles Clippers, who have big rangy defenders like Kris Dunn who can make life difficult for a smaller point guard. With Dort and Alex Caruso out, that onus will fall on Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell.
Comfortable Dub – The more games Jalen Williams gets under his belt, the more comfortable and in rhythm he gets. He hit the 20 point mark in their last game against the Warriors, scoring 22 points. His playmaking has been in mid-season form, as he’s averaging over 6 assists per game in his first 3 games. And his shooting percentage was above 50% for the first time this season in their last game. Everyone is asking whether the Thunder should throw their hat into the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstake, but honestly, Dub coming back may be their important “acquisition” this season.
Upset Potential – The Mavericks are coming into this game the hottest they’ve been all season. They are riding a 3-game winning streak, Nembhard, Cooper Flagg, and Anthony Davis are all balling out, and Dallas’ defense has been consistent. You can almost always throw records out when it comes to regional rivalries and the Thunder have the biggest target on their back this season. OKC has been a little unfocused over the past few games and if that continues, it could come back to bite them in the butt this game.

Thunder vs. Milwaukee Bucks preview (NBA Cup Final)

Posted on December 17, 2024 by Alex Roig

Oklahoma City Thunder (20-5, 1st in the West) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (14-11, 5th in the East)
When: Tuesday, 17 December 2024 at 7:30pm CST
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Offensive Rating – MIL: 113.6 (11th) / OKC: 115.2 (8th)
Defensive Rating – MIL: 112.3 (13th) / OKC: 103.1 (1st)
Net Rating – MIL: 1.4 (15th) / OKC: 12.1 (1st)

The Set-Up

The Emirates NBA Cup has been fun. I don’t know if I’d be saying the same thing if the Oklahoma City Thunder weren’t in the NBA Cup Finals. But still, it has worked. We monitored those group-play games pretty intensely, especially the last day of group play. And then watched with playoff fervor for the quarterfinal and semifinal games. It’s been competitive. It’s been TV-worthy, It’s been what the NBA envisioned a mid-season, single-elimination tournament would look like. Except it features two small-market teams. As an article on NBA.com pointed out in a preview of the Thunder/Rockets semifinal game, this “may not have been the marquee NBA Cup semifinal the league was hoping for…” The NBA has really done a shit job of featuring their young talent, outside of force feeding everyone Victor Wembanyama.

For the Thunder, the NBA Cup has done exactly what the NBA refused to do for them this season: it’s allowed the national audience to see this team in the brightest of lights. The Thunder forced their way in the national spotlight. The NBA knows they messed up by not putting this team in the Christmas line-up. As consolidation, the NBA flexed the two Thunder v. Cavs match-ups in January to national TV. All the Thunder can do from here on out is force you to watch them.

This is the first, of now, three meetings this season between these two teams. They split their season series last year. Before that, though, Milwaukee had won 5 in a row, dating back to Feb. 2022.

Betting Info

Line: OKC -4.5
O/U: 214.5

Injury Report

OKC

Ousmane Dieng – OUT (finger)
Alex Ducas – OUT (back)
Adam Flagler – OUT (finger)
Chet Holmgren – OUT (hip)
Nikola Topic – OUT (knee)
Jaylin Williams – OUT (hamstring)

MIL

Giannis Antetokounmpo – Probable (knee)
Damian Lillard – Probable (calf)
Khris Middleton – Probable (illness)
Liam Robbins – Questionable (ankle)

Three Big Things

Who guards SGA? – Defensively, the Milwaukee Bucks are not designed to cover someone like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They don’t have any serviceable big-wing defenders. Taurean Prince, Andre Jackson Jr, and Khris Middleton are either too slow, not big enough, or too injured to cover SGA. Damian Lillard, Gary Trent Jr., and AJ Green are barbecue chicken. Milwaukee is probably going to deploy an “everybody keep their eyes on Shai” defense and hope he passes it to someone else for a shot. Look for Jalen Williams to get loose a little in this game.
3-point defense – Weirdly, the 3-point shot has been one of the best offensive engines for the Bucks this season. They are third in the NBA in 3-point percentage at 38.9% and feature two of the top-6 players this season in 3-point percentage (Prince at 51.6% on 3.6 attempts and Green at 47.6% on 5.2 attempts). And there’s always Dame, who can catch fire at any moment. The difficulty in guarding the Bucks is having to choose between team-guarding Giannis or hoping their 3-point shooters have an off-night. Knowing the Thunder, they will roll the dice (VEGAS PUN!) on hoping the Bucks have an off-night from the perimeter.
High-pressure test – This is essentially a neutral site Game 7. Giannis and the Bucks have won a Game 7 in the Finals before. The Thunder are at the beginning of their pressure-filled journey .This will be a good test for them and will give Mark some data-points for future high pressure situations.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Thunder preview (Game 81 of 82)

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Alex Roig

Milwaukee Bucks (49-31, 2nd in the East) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (55-25, 3rd in the West)
When: Friday, 12 April 2024 at 7:00pm CST
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Offensive Rating – MIL: 118.0 (5th) / OKC: 118.1 (4th)
Defensive Rating – MIL: 114.9 (18th) / OKC: 111.5 (4th)
Net Rating – MIL: 3.2 (8th) / OKC: 6.6 (2nd)

The Set-Up

The Play-In tournament is working. Even though the post-season participants have been known for a while now, the positioning of the majority of those teams is still in the air. And that makes games in April matter. Whether it’s trying to avoid the 9/10 game or trying to avoid the play-in games altogether, most teams are still playing with fervor with 1-2 games left to play. That was basically unheard of in years past. April games were very similar to summer league games, where NBA hopefuls and team developmental players would get their opportunity to shine. Now we are still seeing guys like LeBron and Steph battle it out trying to move up out of the 9/10 game. It makes for a fun 82-game season, instead of the usual 75-game season plus 7-game G-League showcase at the end of the season.

This is the 2nd and final meeting of the season between these two teams. The Thunder were soundly defeated by the Bucks in late March by a score of 118-93. A game in which the Thunder likely played their worst third quarter of the season, getting outscored 34-17 and shooting just 24% from the field for those 12 minutes.

Betting Info

Line: OKC -14.5
O/U: 223.5

Injury Report

OKC

Josh Giddey (hip) – Questionable

MIL

Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) – OUT
AJ Green (ankle) – OUT
Damian Lillard (adductor) – OUT

Three Big Things

Playoff Seeding – Milwaukee and OKC find themselves in similar situations when it comes to playoff seeding. OKC still has the opportunity to get the No. 1 seed in the West, but would need a divine miracle for the Nuggets to lose to both the Spurs and Grizzlies in their last two games of the season. The battle for No. 2 and 3 likely hinges on how serious the Thunder and Timberwolves take these last two games. Both teams are tied as far as record is concerned, but Minnesota holds the tie-breaker due to their better conference record. Minnesota plays Atlanta, who is already locked into the 10th seed in the East, and Phoenix, who could still be battling for the 6th seed in the West. OKC plays Milwaukee, who is still battling for the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the East, and Dallas, who is basically locked into the 5th seed in the West. OKC would need to win out and hope Minnesota loses one of their last two games in order to secure the 2nd seed.
SGA – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played with so much vigor since he returned from a 4-game absence due to a quad injury. In the two games he’s played (on a back to back, at that), SGA has averaged 33 points, 7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2 stocks on 54/50/84 shooting splits. That burst with zero hesitation on the drives is back. And so is the swag of the team. When Sacramento had the Thunder down by 20 in the first half on Tuesday, you just had the feeling that SGA would will the Thunder back. When he is on, the Thunder have a different feel about them.
Bobby “Michael Jordan” Portis – For the season, Bobby Portis is averaging 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds. But for some reason, in the seven games Giannis Antetokounmpo has missed, Bobby Portis turns into Robert Portis with a grown man game. In those seven games, Portis averages 23.7 points and 10.4 rebounds. Here’s hoping he has a Bobby Portis game and not a Robert Portis game.

NTTB Podcast (Episode 22) – Refs, We Have A Problem

Posted on December 30, 2017 by Alex Roig

On Episode 22 of the NTTB podcast,we discuss the following topics:

Weekly Recap – Games vs. Houston, Toronto, and Milwaukee
Referee issues throughout the league
Return of MVP Russ
Sacrificial Melo
What’s going on with Alex Abrines?
NBA News
City Jerseys

Intro/Outro music provided by OSC Productions

Thank you for listening. We will be doing a podcast once a week. If you have any Thunder or NBA related questions, make sure you hit us up on Twitter (@alexroig_NTTB or @Montero_A13).

We are on ITunes under the NTTB Podcast. Make sure you leave us a 5-star review if you can. As always, Thunder Up!

Thunder @ Bucks preview (Game 7 of 82)

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Alex Roig

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When: Tuesday, 31 October 2017 at 7:00 pm CST
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
TV: NBATV/FSOK
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
Line: OKC -1.5 | O/U – 212.5

Consistency is something the Oklahoma City Thunder have been lacking this season. Play one great game and follow it up with a subpar game. And while a lot of that may have to do with the opponent (all the losses have come against teams that will likely be in the playoffs), the Thunder have got to start winning those games.

Tonight is no different. After obliterating the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, the Thunder face one of the up and coming teams in the East in the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing like a bonafide MVP candidate and the rest of the team is playing well in their roles. Continue reading →

NTTB Rumblings – 31 Oct 2017 (Halloween edition)

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Alex Roig

okc halloween

Erik Horne (NewsOK) on Paul George finding his rhythm: “Throughout the game we know Russ is going to push the tempo, really create all the mismatches with his aggressiveness and attacking the floor,” George said. “But yeah, if I get going early, especially being a shooter out there, it’ll only open up the game for all of us.” George has found a rhythm early in games for the Thunder so far, one which could be a boon for a Thunder team feeling out who shoots when this season.”

The NBA’s version of Cain and Abel featuring Jerami Grant and Jerian Grant.

Brett Dawson (NewsOK) on Giannis Antetokounmpo giving the Thunder their biggest defensive test yet: “I think the biggest thing with him is trying to take away that deep paint where he’s getting all the way to the rim, because then he’s a monster finishing,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “But he’s also a really good passer. He sprays the ball around really well and obviously, they’ve got good shooting on the perimeter. He’s an incredible player.” Continue reading →

The Oklahoma City Thunder tank conundrum: The difference between 14 and 18

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Alex Roig

With Tuesday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs (and New Orleans’ subsequent defeat of the Golden State Warriors), the Oklahoma City Thunder found themselves in a position they hadn’t been for the past month: outside the top 8 in the Western Conference. With only four games left and with New Orleans holding the tie-breaker between themselves and OKC, the likelihood of the Thunder missing the playoffs has become a very real possibility.

The 8th spot in the Western Conference is almost guaranteed to get the 18th pick in the draft, while the 9th spot in the Western Conference is slotted to be the 14th pick in the lottery, as they would hold the best record of all the non-playoff teams. The 14th worst team in the league has a 0.5% of getting the 1st pick, a 0.6% chance of getting the 2nd pick, and a 0.7% chance of getting the 3rd pick. The team that picks in the 14th spot has never won the draft lottery a.k.a the Number 1 pick. In 1993, the Orlando Magic won the draft lottery with a 1.52% chance of winning it. They had the best record of all the lottery teams and remain the team with the worst odds to ever garner the Number 1 pick. Since then, three more teams have been added to the NBA, so the odds are even lower now.

The possibility of Oklahoma City getting the top pick is damn near slim to none. Same goes for them getting the 2nd or 3rd pick. The question then becomes what’s more important for a championship contending team that has been saddled with bad luck: a higher draft pick or postseason experience for their playoff neophytes? More simply, is there a discernible difference between the 14th pick and the 18th pick?

Looking back at the last five drafts, those five draft spots are extremely important for getting good role players, with the possibility of getting a lower tier superstar. The top three players that have been chosen in those spots in the past 5 yeas have been Kawhi Leonard, Eric Bledsoe, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Other players of high value include Nikola Vucevic, Dennis Schroder, Terrance Jones, Marcus Morris, and Jusuf Nurkic. Of all those players, only Marcus Morris was chosen with the 14th pick. Meanwhile, Terrance Jones and Eric Bledsoe were both chosen with the 18th pick.

From the numbers, there are no discernible differences between the 14th pick and the 18th pick. Without all the injuries, the Thunder are a championship contending team. If the team is able to keep Enes Kanter in the offseason, their needs will be peripheral at best. If the team is able to draft the mythical creature known as a 2-way shooting guard, then great. We’ve all seen grainy videos of two-way shooting guards that can shoot from the perimeter and defend their position well. According to lore, they still exist. Another need that could be addressed in the draft is another good shooter. Other than those two things, health is probably the only thing the Thunder need for next season.

Well, health and more playoff experience. Some of the remaining Thunder players that have survived the triage-apocalypse that has been this season, have never been featured players on playoff teams. Dion Waiters, Kyle Singler, and Mitch McGary have never been to the postseason, and Enes Kanter made it to the playoffs in his rookie season with the Utah Jazz, but didn’t play many meaningful minutes as the San Antonio Spurs swept the Jazz in what was a lopsided first round series. The experience earned, even at the hands of a sweep by the Golden State Warriors, will be irreplaceable come this time next season.

Think back to when the Thunder first played the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the 2010 postseason. Oklahoma City lost the series in 6 games, but the experience earned in that series fueled their next four postseason runs. The Thunder have a new set of players that have replaced some seasoned vets the Thunder had in their previous postseason runs (Kendrick Perkins, Reggie Jackson, Derek Fisher). Those new players need to experience what playoff basketball, at its highest, it like. I’d rather they earn that experience now, than have to earn it next season when the Thunder hopefully are chasing a title and the stakes are a lot higher.

The Thunder are in a position to get the best of both worlds: a solid first round pick and playoff experience. Is there risk for injury if the Thunder make the playoffs? Of course. But there’s a risk of injury any time any of these players gets on a basketball court, whether its in an NBA game or an offseason workout. Missing the playoffs on purpose makes no sense whatsoever, especially when there is only a 0.18% chance of obtaining a top-3 pick. Plus, there’s no way Russell Westbrook will ever stand by and allow the team to lose on purpose. The Thunder will try their hardest in these last four games, and will allow the chips to fall wherever they may fall.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder preview (Game 21 of 82)

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Alex Roig

When: Tuesday, 09 December 2014 at 7:00 PM CST
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK

It’s been 4 out of 5 games. Against some of the worst teams in the league. But they have been victories, and they have been needed. The Thunder can’t be picky from here on out about how or against whom they get their wins. They just have to get them…and by the bunches, if possible. Their past game and this game are bit of a redemption tour for the Thunder. And that’s basically what the rest of this season is going to be. The necessity of making up for the lost first month of the season will be the theme of the season. Fortunately, for the first time all season, the Thunder have been healthy for some games now, and appear to be hitting their stride.

This is the 2nd meeting of the season between these two teams. In the first game, the Bucks used a strong second quarter to wrestle the game from the Thunder, and kept them at bay in the 2nd half to win 85-78.

The Opponent

The Bucks come into this game with a surprising 11-11 record, but have lost 4 out of their last 5 games. They have feasted on the weak teams in the league, to include Oklahoma City when they were the walking wounded. Against teams with a record of .500 or higher, Milwaukee is only 1-8 this season. They are middle of the road in most statistical categories, and are just now learning how to compete in the league. Point guard Brandon Knight seems to be coming into his own, after struggling to find his way in Detroit and in his first season with Milwaukee last year. He leads the team in points (17.6), assists (5.8), and steals (1.5), and has been surprisingly efficient. On the wings, OJ Mayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo provide a contrast of styles that can make them difficult to defend. Mayo is the perimeter player who can be streaky at times, while Antetokounmpo is the genetic freak that is just now learning how to use his physical tools. Rookie Jabari Parker has seen his averages steadily improve as the season has progressed. Up front, Larry Sanders has kept himself out of trouble and is giving the Bucks what they expected of him, which is defense and rebounding. The Bucks have one of the more deeper benches in the league, and it is not uncommon for them to regularly go 11 or 12 deep in a game. It features a mix of young and old, with veterans like Jerryd Bayless, Jared Dudley, Ersan Ilyasova, and Zaza Pachulia, and young players like Khris Middleton and Kendall Marshall all getting significant playing time.

Probable Starting Line-ups

Milwaukee Bucks

PG – Brandon Knight
SG – OJ Mayo
SF – Giannis Antetokounmpo
PF – Jabari Parker
C – Larry Sanders

Oklahoma City Thunder

PG – Russell Westbrook
SG – Andre Roberson
SF – Kevin Durant
PF – Serge Ibaka
C – Steven Adams

Match-ups To Watch

1. Kevin Durant vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo – Freak vs. Freak. If you were to go into some Cold War-aged, unethical, secluded laboratory located somewhere in a bunker east of the Balkans that allowed experimentation on humans and were told to create the perfect basketball player, you’d probably create something along the lines of Durant and Antetokounmpo (but with a little bit more muscle mass, of course). Two 6’10-ish guys that can move gracefully and handle the ball well enough to be considered guards.

2. Serge Ibaka vs. Jabari Parker – Parker is currently undersized for the position, but he is probably versatile enough to give Ibaka problems on the perimeter. While Ibaka may have the edge in the rebounding department, Parker’s ability to float around the perimeter will likely negate Ibaka’s best strength, which is as a rim protector.

3. Kendrick Perkins vs. Zaza Pachulia – Silver back vs. Gümüs geri (silver back in Georgian). Perkins has been pretty successful in his transition to the bench. We’ll see how he handles the king of the back-up bigs in Pachulia.

3 Keys to the Game

1. Rebounding – The Bucks are 3rd in the league in terms of offensive boards (11.5/game), while at the same time, giving up about the same amount of offensive boards away (11.4/game). Which ever team puts their stamp on the board, will likely win this game.

2. Bench – When the Bucks and Thunder first met, Milwaukee sported one of the best scoring benches in the league. And it showed as the Bucks bench outscored the Thunder bench 53-22 in the first meeting. Since then, though, Mayo and Antetokounmpo have moved into the starting line-up and Ilyasova and John Henson are both out with injuries. Conversely, the Thunder now sport a fully healthy team. That, combined with Jeremy Lamb’s recent resurgence, likely means the Thunder will take advantage of their off the bench.

3. Durant and Westbrook – This is their first game in Oklahoma City as a healthy duo. Hopefully, a little home cooking will be the catalyst the team needs to get into the right groove.