Three Takeaways from the OKC Thunder's NBA Cup Championship Loss to the Milwaukee Bucks

Oklahoma City fell to Milwaukee in the NBA Cup Championship on Tuesday night. Let's take a look at some factors that went into that.

Dec 17, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) fight for a rebound during the 4th quarter of the Emirates NBA Cup championship game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City had one of those nights.

It was a bad night for it to happen on too, as the Thunder slumped and struggled versus the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup Championship, a lackluster performance the likes we haven't quite seen from this season's Thunder rendition.

As a unit, Oklahoma City could not get the ball in the hoop from three, nor from the field, at a winnable rate. Team defense is the sole reason the Thunder did not get absolutely dismantled, as the team lost 97-81, still generating more Milwaukee turnovers than Thunder turnovers committed. That didn't mean much though, considering Oklahoma City's guys could not dial it in offensively.

Let's take a look at three takeaways from the Thunder's worst offensive outing on the season:

An Off-Night

At the end of the night, it was an off performance and can be left at that. It was an anomaly that every great team falls victim to at least once throughout the year. And for the Thunder's case, it was bad. Bad entirely, and bad timing as well.

The Thunder's starting unit shot 67 times and made just 25 of their tries. As a whole team, Oklahoma City shot 33.7% from the field and an abysmal 15.6% from three-point range on 32 attempts. It was ugly, and the rebounding discrepancy did not help---as the Bucks outrebounded the Thunder 52-43.

You won't see many of these performances throughout the year from a team as confidently sound as this one, but this one stung for Thunder fans.

SGA Struggles

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had one of his worst offensive nights on the season versus Milwaukee. He couldn't get much to fall at a high clip, and ultimately posted 21 points on just 22.2% from three and 33.3% overall.

Not to mention, tallying just two assists en route to the Thunder's loss, Oklahoma City as a team could not spread the rock adequately, totaling 13 assists on the night. Granted, it's difficult to ramp up that category when shots are not falling, but as the point man, Gilgeous-Alexander must do better in terms of getting his teammates involved and in strong positions to score.

It was a rough night for the MVP candidate, and it cost them an NBA Cup title.

Giannis Goes for Triple-Double

Giannis Antetokounmpo had himself a night against Oklahoma City.

Without Chet Holmgren's presence, it was difficult to wall him off from the paint. And, subsequently, he would go off for a triple-double in points, assists and rebounds on the night and eventual NBA Cup Championship win. 26 points on over 50% shooting also saw him with a massive 19 rebounds and 10 assists to capitalize against the Thunder.

He left points on the table too, going 6-for-11 from the charity stripe.

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Oklahoma City will bounce back from this one as they do nearly every gross loss such as this one, but the circumstances this contest held will sting a bit more than just a normal regular season bout.

Next, the Thunder look ahead to the Orlando Magic at 6 p.m. on Thursday inside Kia Center on TNT.

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