The Milwaukee Bucks came into Tuesday night looking to build off a narrow win over Atlanta. Instead, they ran into a buzzsaw in the form of the Oklahoma City Thunder - and the result wasn’t pretty. Behind a 40-point masterpiece from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC rolled past the Bucks, handing Milwaukee its fourth straight loss to a defending NBA champion.
Let’s start with SGA, who put on an offensive clinic. The reigning MVP was nearly flawless, shooting a jaw-dropping 16-of-19 from the field while also dishing out 11 assists.
He was in total command from tip-off to final buzzer - slicing through Milwaukee’s defense, orchestrating the offense, and making the tough shots look routine. When he’s in this kind of rhythm, there’s not much even a top-tier defense can do.
Unfortunately for the Bucks, their defense wasn’t close to that level.
Milwaukee’s night got off to a rocky start and never really recovered. Head coach Doc Rivers emphasized pregame the importance of taking care of the ball - especially against a team as opportunistic as the Thunder.
But those words didn’t carry over to the hardwood. The Bucks coughed the ball up three times in the first four minutes alone, and OKC wasted no time capitalizing.
The Thunder raced out to an early lead and never looked back.
By the time the first quarter ended, it was 38-18 in favor of Oklahoma City. To put it in perspective: Bucks rookie Ajay Mitchell was briefly outscoring the entire Milwaukee team by himself. That’s how lopsided things were early.
Milwaukee showed some signs of life in the second quarter, particularly from beyond the arc. They hit three of their first five three-point attempts to start the frame, but the defensive issues remained.
The Bucks couldn’t string together stops, and every time they cut into the lead, OKC answered right back. One of the backbreaking plays came late in the second quarter when Gilgeous-Alexander drilled a contested three with Kyle Kuzma draped all over him.
That shot pushed the Thunder lead back to 19, and they went into halftime up 69-51.
In the third, the Bucks tried to claw their way back into it, but the Thunder simply had too many answers. SGA continued to control the tempo, either scoring or assisting on eight of OKC’s first 14 points in the quarter.
Milwaukee briefly trimmed the deficit to 16 after an Andre Jackson Jr. triple, but once again, the Thunder responded - this time with a 9-0 run that ballooned the lead to 27. By the end of the third, the Bucks were staring at a 22-point hole, down 99-77.
The fourth quarter didn’t offer much in the way of drama. Pete Nance knocked down a three to open the frame, momentarily cutting the lead to 19.
But on the very next possession, the Bucks forced Kenrich Williams into a tough, fading three at the end of the shot clock - and he buried it anyway. That was the kind of night it was for Milwaukee.
Even when they did something right, OKC found a way to answer.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a solid night statistically - 19 points and 14 rebounds - but he never really had the chance to impose his will on the game. The Thunder built an early cushion and kept Giannis from ever getting into full attack mode.
After a pair of dunks midway through the fourth, Doc Rivers pulled his star with just under five minutes to play, signaling the end of any comeback hopes. A few minutes later, the reserves checked in, and the Thunder coasted to the finish line.
One of the biggest issues for Milwaukee was their carelessness with the ball. They turned it over eight times in the first quarter alone, leading directly to 11 Thunder points. That early sloppiness dug a hole they never climbed out of - and against a team as locked-in as Oklahoma City, that’s a recipe for disaster.
Cole Anthony was a bright spot off the bench, scoring 17 points on a scorching 77.8% from the field. But beyond that, the Bucks struggled to find consistent offense or defensive resistance. It was a night where nothing clicked - and the Thunder made sure they paid for every misstep.
Milwaukee will need to regroup quickly. The effort, execution, and defensive focus all have to be sharper if they want to get back on track. Because if Tuesday night was any indication, the road ahead won’t get any easier - and the margin for error is shrinking fast.