The Oklahoma City Thunder got exactly what they wanted out of their first meaningful preseason look at the team’s primary rotation.
They just didn’t get the win.
The Thunder built a 22-point lead and carried an 82-64 advantage into halftime before the Milwaukee Bucks stormed back to steal a 128-126 victory Wednesday night at Paycom Center. Oklahoma City falls to 0-2 in the preseason, but the final score tells only a fraction of the story.
For roughly a half, the Thunder looked like a team that had picked up exactly where it left off.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was perfect from the field. Jalen Williams was efficient and aggressive. Alex Caruso immediately comfortable. Cason Wallace handled the ball and created opportunities. And Aday Mara followed his impressive Tulsa debut with an even better performance.
Then the starters went away, the game changed completely and Milwaukee found enough extra possessions to turn a rout into a thriller.
That’s preseason basketball in its purest form.
But there was still plenty to learn.
The Stars Answered the Question
If the biggest question coming into Wednesday night was what Oklahoma City’s primary group would look like together, the answer was overwhelmingly positive.
Gilgeous-Alexander played just over 18 minutes and scored 17 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including 3-of-3 from three and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line. He added five assists and did not commit a turnover.
Jalen Williams was just as efficient, finishing with 16 points and six assists on 8-of-11 shooting while adding two steals.
The two combined to shoot 13-of-16 from the field.
That efficiency wasn’t accidental.
The Thunder’s offense consistently created advantages before Milwaukee could get its defense completely organized. SGA manipulated the first defender, Williams attacked downhill and the ball moved quickly when Milwaukee tried to load up against either one.
Caruso added 12 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting, while Wallace contributed seven points and six assists.
The result was an opening half in which Oklahoma City shot the ball at an elite level and repeatedly generated clean looks.
This was the part of the evening Thunder fans came to see.
It looked very good.
Then Everything Changed
The Thunder’s 82-64 halftime lead eventually disappeared because the game changed in virtually every important way.
Once Oklahoma City began cycling through its deeper rotation, Milwaukee started winning possessions.
The Bucks attacked the glass. They got to the free-throw line. They continued to put pressure on a Thunder defense that was now relying heavily on younger players.
The numbers tell the story.
Milwaukee finished with a 59-39 rebounding advantage, including 20 offensive rebounds, and made 26 free throws compared with 17 for Oklahoma City. Those extra possessions and free points became increasingly important as the Thunder’s offensive efficiency declined.
The Bucks scored 33 points in the third quarter while Oklahoma City managed just 20.
Suddenly, the 18-point halftime margin was gone.
And what had looked like a comfortable preseason victory became a two-point game.
Aday Mara Is Making This Very Interesting
The most encouraging individual development from Wednesday night may have come from a player who wasn’t supposed to be the headline.
Aday Mara.
The 7-foot-3 center followed his perfect 5-of-5 shooting performance against New Orleans, on Tuesday night, by doing something even more remarkable against Milwaukee:
He didn’t miss.
Mara finished with 22 points on 10-of-10 shooting, six rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in 25 minutes. He also finished with a team-best +17.
That’s 15-for-15 from the field through two preseason games.
More important than the number, however, is how comfortable Mara looked within Oklahoma City’s offensive structure.
He consistently presented himself as a vertical target, finished lobs and played with considerably more confidence around the basket than he did during his early opportunities last season.
The Thunder don’t need Mara to become a featured scorer.
They need him to become a reliable piece.
Through two games, he’s making that possibility increasingly difficult to ignore.
Bennett Stirtz Shows the Other Side of Preseason Basketball
Bennett Stirtz provided one of the night’s most interesting statistical contradictions.
The rookie scored 20 points, knocked down four three-pointers and grabbed five rebounds.
And yet, he finished with a -20 plus/minus as Milwaukee’s comeback accelerated during his minutes.
That doesn’t make the 20-point performance meaningless.
It makes it more useful.
Stirtz is clearly capable of producing offense. The next step is learning how to control a game when opponents stop allowing him to operate comfortably and when the defensive responsibilities become more demanding.
That’s exactly what preseason is designed to expose.
The Thunder will have plenty of film to show him.
Should Anyone Worry About 0-2?
No.
Not about the record.
But there are things worth watching.
Oklahoma City’s two preseason losses have followed a similar pattern: the Thunder have produced stretches of excellent basketball before their depth has been tested late.
That isn’t necessarily a warning sign. With the primary rotation players playing limited minutes, preseason fourth quarters can become almost completely detached from the basketball Oklahoma City will play when the games count.
Still, defensive rebounding cannot be ignored.
Neither can the difference in physicality once the Thunder’s top defensive personnel leave the floor.
Those are development points, not reasons to panic.
The encouraging part is that Oklahoma City has now gotten meaningful looks at its core and received strong performances from several of the young players competing for rotation minutes.
The Bottom Line
The Thunder lost Wednesday night.
They also accomplished a large portion of what they wanted to accomplish.
The primary group looked cohesive. Gilgeous-Alexander looked completely in rhythm. Williams looked aggressive as a secondary creator. Caruso fit naturally into the starting lineup. Wallace showed his value as a connector.
And Mara may have just forced his way into a much bigger conversation.
The second half wasn’t pretty.
That’s why it matters.
Oklahoma City doesn’t need to learn whether its stars can build an 18-point halftime lead against a preseason opponent. The organization needs to use nights like this to identify the players, combinations and habits that can survive when the stars aren’t on the floor.
Wednesday provided plenty of that information.