Bucks Dominate Thunder Without Antetokounmpo, Middleton

Despite being without decorated superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and three-time all-star Khris Middleton, Milwaukee easily defeated the Thunder at home on Saturday evening.

The Oklahoma City Thunder fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 108-94 at the Fiserv Forum on Saturday night, dropping OKC's record to 4-5.  

For Milwaukee, center Brook Lopez led the way with 25 points while forward Bobby Portis brought down 20 rebounds. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo missed Saturday's contest with a knee injury. 

Once again, star ball-handler Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was Oklahoma City's leading scorer, tallying 18 points and three assists. 

Both squads came out of the gate firing, scoring 34 points apiece in the first quarter. 10 of the Bucks first 13 shots came from 3-point range, but the Thunder kept pace behind a hot start from Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Gilgeous-Alexander. 

Midway through the first quarter, Portis knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers from the corner to give the Bucks a three-point lead. Robinson-Earl answered with a triple of his own to help spark a 15-3 run by the Thunder.

Back-to-back 3-pointers followed by a bucket from inside the paint by Bucks guard Grayson Allen helped Milwaukee claw back and tie up the game. After former OKC big man Serge Ibaka finished a layup over Kenrich Williams, Gilgeous-Alexander connected on a remarkable mid-range buzzer-beater over two defenders to knot the game at 34 going into the second quarter. 

In the second frame, Oklahoma City struggled to find the bottom of the net, especially while Gilgeous-Alexander was off the court. Lopez dominated OKC in the paint after two offensive fouls early in the game relegated the rim protector to the bench in the first quarter. 

Milwaukee's big men, Lopez and Portis, dominated the Thunder down low in the first half. Lopez went into halftime with 16 points while Portis had already recorded 11 rebounds with over seven minutes left in the second quarter. 

Midway through the second quarter, Giddey went to the bench with an apparent hand issue. Trainers were seen looking at the second-year guard's dominant hand, which was dripping with blood. OKC trailed 67-53 at the half. 

After scoring less than 20 points in the second quarter, OKC was stifled again early in the third, adding only 24 points. Bucks guard Jevon Carter, on the other hand, caught fire coming out of halftime, knocking down four shots from beyond the arc in the third quarter alone. 

Thunder defensive standout Lu Dort played great defense on Bucks guard Jrue Holiday all night, holding the former all-star to eight points on 3-of-9 shooting through three quarters. Heading into the final frame, Milwaukee led OKC 93-75.

Oklahoma City's offense continued to struggle in the fourth quarter, unable to consistently score until the waning minutes of the game, when many of the Bucks reserve players were on the floor. 

OKC heads to Detroit on Monday to take on Cade Cunningham and the Pistons at 6:30 P.M. at Little Caesars Arena.  

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