The Thunder, champions of the Western Conference last season, were expected to easily stroll past the mediocre Bucks. However, they were in for a surprise.

The Bucks gave the Thunder a hard fight throughout the game. Although they trailed by 10 to open the second half, the Bucks had committed just three turnovers in the first half and were playing spirited basketball.

Three Bucks bigs had double-doubles on Saturday night. Ersan Ilyasova led the way with 29 points (12-of-22 shooting) and 15 rebounds. Ekpe Udoh had his first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Larry Sanders added  12 points and 10 boards.

The Bucks took a five point lead in the third quarter before being closed out by Kevin Durant. With ten games to go, the Bucks have a much brighter outlook than they did two games ago. Monta Ellis, has had a great second half to the season, Udoh and Daniels’ solid contributions tonight could help give them confidence down the stretch, and the front court of Ilyasova and Sanders are collectively playing their best basketball.

However, Brandon Jennings seems to have a problem.

After publicly complaining about not playing in the fourth quarter earlier this week, Jennings also sent out a tweet after the Lakers game.

His body language is sporadic and frustrated on the court. It seems like his mind is already wandering to his departure this offseason via free agency. The Bucks are only 3 games back from the Celtics for the seventh spot in the East. If they want to catch the Celtics, Jennings needs to get on board. Remember when Jennings had four games with 48 assists? He proudly declared that he knew all along he could pass like that, and that people doubted him.

His assist numbers have once again dwindled. Jennings has dished seven assists or less in five of his last six games.

Plain and simple, if the Bucks want to make a strong push for a higher seed and make a run in the postseason, Jennings needs to get on board.

The Bucks will play the Bobcats, T-Wolves, Knicks, Raptors, Heat, Magic, Hawks, Bobcats, Nuggets and Thunder for the remainder of the season. Unfortunately, it looks like the Bucks, realistically will go about 5-5. However, that’s why they play the games. Despite a loss, the Bucks have played inspired basketball. The only thing left is for the team to get everyone on board.

We’re waiting Brandon Jennings. Time’s almost up.

Mar 12, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Vince Carter (25) reacts after making a basket during the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Dallas won 115-108. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Vince Carter just wasn’t going to let the Mavericks lose.

After the Bucks stormed back in the fourth quarter, down 14 at one point, Carter buried shot after shot. The Bucks had trimmed the lead to five for a short while but Carter was too much.

But the Bucks were missing one of their biggest stars.

Brandon Jennings had completely disappeared. He wasn’t dishing the ball (five assists) in double digits like he had vowed he would from here on out. Jennings scored four points, played 25 minutes and was -21 while in the game.

It’s what we’ve seen from Jennings his whole career. His three games of 40 plus assists were extremely promising. Yet, he has now had two bad games in a row.

Sometimes he knocks down threes like we saw in the Golden State game, sometimes he has four points.

Monta Ellis continued his hot play, shooting 50 percent and scoring 32 points and dishing out 9 assists. The more Ellis attacks the rim, the better chance the Bucks will have to win games. Except, there is one problem.

Regardless of Ellis’ play and the addition of J.J. Redick, it seems that this team can’t win games without Brandon Jennings playing well. Ersan Ilyasova is on the cusp of being a premier player on this team. However, tonight he didn’t have it all going. He seemed to not be the same old Ersan, only grabbing three rebounds and scoring seven points.

Mar 12, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Chris Kaman (35) shoots against Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders (8) during the first quarter at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

We can expect Ersan to get better as he feels healthier, but Jennings? That’s a problem the Bucks will just have to deal with for the rest of the way. Larry Sanders looked like his old self and that will be important going forward. Ellis and Sanders are the only two true game changers the Bucks have. One offensively, the other defensively.

The Bucks will have a quick turnaround tomorrow against John Wall and the Wizards. Wall, who apparently thinks he’s worth a max deal, will be a tough matchup for Jennings. However, this game is a must win for the Bucks. With the Miami Heat looming on Friday, it’s essential that the Bucks knock off a bad team.

Of course, many thought that tonight’s game was a must win. Take care of the bad teams, give the tough teams a good fight, and we’ll be ok. With disappointments aside, the Bucks are still 6-3 since the All-Star break and just came off a 2-1 West Coast trip.

For tonight, they’ll get a free slide. But they better win tomorrow.