The NBA’s top two scorers go head-to-head on Sunday night as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder continue their Eastern Conference road trip to take on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Both the Thunder and the Bucks played last night with both teams getting a win, but Milwaukee has the advantage of playing both of their games at home, while OKC is traveling.
OKC was a little short-handed last night with Chet Holmgren (rest), Jalen Williams (strained hip), and Aaron Wiggins (illness) all out. Luguentz Dort also went down in the middle of the third quarter with a groin injury. Still, Shai Gilgeus-Alexander was able to notch another incredible scoring night with 48 points to lead the Thunder to a 113-107 victory over the Piston in Detroit.
Milwaukee was able to hold on against the Indiana Pacers for a 126-119 win as Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. The Bucks led by 21 early in the fourth quarter, but the Pacers were able to storm back and make it a 3-point game with 12.1 seconds left. That was as close as they would get, though.
Both the Thunder and the Bucks have sizeable wins against each other, and in both games, the losing team was missing at least a few key players. For tonight’s matchup, it looks like Milwaukee is completely healthy—Bobby Portis is still out for suspension—but the Thunder has a handful of important guys that will probably be sitting. Regardless, this game has the feel of a classic battle where both teams want to win for bragging rights almost as much as affecting the standings.
If Milwaukee can beat up OKC with their size and pair that with some outside shooting, they have a good shot at another win against the Thunder. However, with both Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren able to play alongside one another, it won’t be quite as easy as it has been before. OKC needs to lock in defensively and try to force some takeaways while staying patient on offense. Putting up too many shots from downtown could be a recipe for disaster. While the first two meetings were blowouts, this one has all the makings of a close a fourth quarter battle.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 8 PM CT
Location: Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Television: ESPN
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: Cason Wallace
- SF: Aaron Wiggins
- PF: Chet Holmgren
- C: Isaiah Hartenstein
Bucks
- PG: Damian Lillard
- SG: Andre Jackson
- SF: Kyle Kuzma
- PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- C: Brook Lopez
Thunder
- Branden Carlson (G League — two-way) is OUT.
- Ousmane Dieng (strained left calf) is OUT.
- Luguentz Dort (right hip soreness) is OUT.
- Alex Ducas (G League — two-way) is OUT.
- Isaiah Hartenstein (nasal fracture) is AVAILABLE.
- Ajay Mitchell (sprained right great toe) is OUT.
- Nikola Topic (left knee surgery) is OUT.
- Aaron Wiggins (illness) is QUESTIONABLE.
- Jalen Williams (strained right hip) is OUT.
Bucks
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (right knee tendinopathy) is PROBABLE.
- Kyle Kuzma (non-covid illness) is QUESTIONABLE.
- Damian Lillard (right groin soreness) is PROBABLE.
- Bobby Portis (suspension) is OUT.
- Jericho Sims (sprained right thumb) is QUESTIONABLE.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 16-16 against the Bucks in the regular season (9-7 at home, 7-9 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 1-1 against the Bucks last year (1-0 at home, 0-1 on the road).
- So far this season, the Thunder is 1-0 against the Bucks (1-0 at home, 0-0 on the road).
- The Thunder lost to the Bucks 97-81 in this year’s NBA Cup Final. **This game does not count towards official records.**