Friday night in Toronto did not start off so hot for the Oklahoma City Thunder as they faced off against the ailing Raptors, but it didn’t take long for OKC to turn the game around. Despite trailing by 11 midway through the first quarter, the Thunder were able to flip the switch defensively and put together an impressive performance to come away with the 123-103 victory.
The skill level of the opposition dramatically increases on Sunday evening as the Thunder travels to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks. Despite missing time recently, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton are both expected to play, and while the Bucks aren’t quite at full strength, they should be pretty close. OKC has managed to stay healthy for the majority of the season, and much of that can be credited to the youth of the team. That is the tale of the tape for tonight’s matchup: the young Thunder versus the experienced Bucks.
Milwaukee made a big move in the offseason in trading for Damian Lillard, and after the experiment wasn’t going quite as expected for the first half of the season, the Bucks fired head coach Adrian Griffin and immediately hired Doc Rivers. Since Rivers’s arrival, the Bucks have gone from 30-13 to 45-25, which is slightly worse. While it definitely takes some time for adjustment, it’s hard to tell if the transition mid-season was one that will pay off for the Bucks.
OKC has been on quite a different path than Milwaukee: one of consistent development and growth. The Thunder have enjoyed success from early in the season, and at 49-20, this is the best OKC has been at this point in the season since going 51-18 in the 2013-14 season. With just 13 games remaining, the Thunder still have a chance to finish with the best record in OKC history, which was 60-22 in the 2012-13 season. Regardless of what the final record is, the key for OKC to finish out the season should be to stay healthy and stay in rhythm as they gear up for the playoffs. A big road win against an Eastern Conference contender like the Milwaukee Bucks would do just that and put the league on notice, if they aren’t already.
Tip-Off: 6 PM CT
Location: Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Television: Bally Sports Oklahoma, NBA TV
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, Milwaukee Bucks Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Josh Giddey
- SF: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Jalen Williams
- C: Chet Holmgren
Bucks
- PG: Damian Lillard
- SG: Malik Beasley
- SF: Khris Middleton
- PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- C: Brook Lopez
Injury Report
Thunder
- Ousmane Dieng is OUT (G League — on assignment).
- Adam Flagler is OUT (G League — two-way).
- Keyontae Johnson is OUT (G League — two-way).
- Olivier Sarr is QUESTIONABLE (G League — two-way).
Bucks
- Giannis Antetokounmpo is PROBABLE (left hamstring tendinopathy).
- Khris Middleton is PROBABLE (sprained left ankle).
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 14-15 against the Bucks in the regular season (7-7 at home, 7-8 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series with the Bucks 4 times, lost it 4 times, and tied it 7 times.
- The Thunder went 0-2 against the Bucks last year (0-1 at home, 0-1 on the road).