In Milwaukee, Shai Giljus-Alexander scores for the Bucks

The end of the authoritarian “journey” for the Thunder. Two days after a 32-point victory in Cleveland, Oklahoma City went on a 20-run (102-122) sweep of the Bucks.

Still missing a bunch of big players from Jaylen Williams to Isaiah Hartenstein, including Alex Caruso, Aaron Wiggins and even Jaylin Williams, the reigning champion relied heavily on his leader, Shai Gilgeous-Alexanderthe author of a huge match with 40 points (16/19 on shots), 11 assists and 7 rebounds (53 points!).

“SGA” thus largely won its duel with a Giannis Antetokounmpo who did not have his usual “hit” performance (19 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists). In addition to the Canadian, Ajay Mitchell and unexpected Kenrich Williams both finished with 18 points in a game in which their opponents never had a lead.

Game almost done after the quarter

After just 1 minute 30 minutes into the game, Doc Rivers, without Myles Turner and Kevin Porter Jr., had already taken a timeout after trailing 5-0. These first seconds of the game would set the tone for a generally unsuccessful start to the match for the home team. The latter lost 8 balls in the first quarter alone, and the guests managed to take advantage of the still discreet “SGA”.

Ajay Mitchell was one of those who allowed Oklahoma to take a 20-point lead after the first 12 minutes (18-38). Milwaukee would pull this gap all night without ever being able to sign a “run” important enough to make the opposing team suspicious.

The fault lies with the unsustainable Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who, after letting the game come to him, used his offensive palette to continually open up lanes to the circle. The Bucks didn’t really have a defensive stopper to counter him, the Canadian pulled away and allowed his team, which still led by 18 points at halftime (51-69), then 22 early in the final quarter (77-99), to stay the course.

Despite this comfortable lead, Marc Daigneault still preferred to send his superstar and his senior players back to “garbage time.” It will come out with just two minutes to go.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– Lou Dort’s defense of Giannis Antetokounmpo. It was only the third time this season that the Greek did not reach the 20-point mark. The Thunder Bulldog, whose minutes have matched those of the Bucks’ leader, has a lot to do with the fact that Giannis shot so little (8/11). Despite his size deficit, he used all of his physical bulk to slow down the Greek, preventing him as much as possible from gaining speed and rising towards the circle. In the fourth quarter, we even saw him make an almost blind interception while battling Giannis Antetokounmpo in the low post.

– The Thunder have a blast against Eastern teams. This success comes after a big win in Cleveland and a narrow loss in Miami. Throughout the season, OKC has a record of 9 wins and 2 losses against teams from the opposite conference. Along with the Heat, the Hornets are the only other team in the East to beat the defending champion. The latter has an equally impressive record of 28 wins and 6 losses against Western teams.

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = point difference when the player is on the court; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.