Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Shooting Struggles, Tough Coverage Led to OKC Thunder's NBA Cup Loss

The thunder struggled in many areas, but putting the ball in the hoop was the most glaring one out of a long list.

Dec 17, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dribbles against Milwaukee Bucks guard Andre Jackson Jr. (44) during the 3rd quarter of the Emirates NBA Cup championship game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The OKC Thunder suffered its most frustrating defeat of the early season so far last night, falling to the Milwaukee Bucks, 97-81, in the championship game of the NBA Cup. A lot went wrong for the Thunder, but the scoring inefficiency of star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might just top the list. 

For most of the matchup, Milwaukee stuck Andre Jackson Jr. on Gilgeous-Alexander. He was tasked with picking up the Thunder star full court as soon as the next offensive possession would start. Jackson held Gilgeous-Alexander to only 21 points on 8-for-24 shooting, the worst statistical shooting performance of his MVP-caliber season. His total scoring output was also tied for the second-worst of the season. This wasn’t all due to Jackson, but his early defensive pressure certainly set the tone.

To say Jackson did a good job on Gilgeous-Alexander is an understatement. The constant pressure he applied to the Thunder star had to have been frustrating to deal with. When Jackson was defending OKC’s leading scorer, finding ways to give him the ball in half-court sets were few and far between. Even when center Isaiah Hartenstein would set multiple screens, Jackson was attached to Gilgeous-Alexander. 

As a whole, the Thunder truly struggled to put the ball in the hoop. Gilgeous-Alexander was not the only one who faced these issues but more was expected of him. Making only 33% of his shot attempts, many of which he would normally follow through on, was never going to put the Thunder in a good position to win against a Milwaukee team that’s currently playing its best basketball. 

Gilgeous-Alexander’s inability to score might just top the list of things that went wrong for Oklahoma City. This is the first time, outside of OKC’s second loss of the season to the Golden State Warriors, that Gilgeous-Alexander struggled this much. The Thunder need him to not only score as much as he usually does but do it efficiently as well if they want to go deep in the playoffs. 

Milwaukee outrebounded the Thunder, mainly in part to star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo was a force in more ways than one, leading the Bucks in points, rebounds, assists and blocks. There wasn't much Oklahoma City could do to stop Milwaukee's force of nature and that was another reason the Thunder eventually fell to the Bucks. The rebounding battle also went in favor of Milwaukee, with the Bucks securing 52 to Oklahoma City's 43.

The Thunder will need the production of GIlgeous-Alexander to continue to win important games. They might be able to get by winning in the regular season, but he will be relied on much more in playoff games with more meaning.

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