Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 118-112 loss to Oklahoma City Thunder

Up against a defensive wall and a Paul George masterclass, the Milwaukee Bucks’ win streak was snapped by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ winning streak came to an end on Sunday evening as, led by Paul George, the Oklahoma City Thunder put on a masterclass on both ends of the floor.

Still, having been afforded nothing easy (shout out to our old friend, Zaza Pachulia) all night long, and coming up against arguably the best performance of any opponent they’ve faced this year, the Bucks fought to the death and almost found a way to steal away with an unlikely victory.

More from Bucks News

• Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
• Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
• Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
• Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
• New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited

In fact, if it wasn’t for George, who combined elite defense with ridiculous shot-making throughout the night, the Bucks would almost certainly have cruised to a comfortable victory, even without their best.

As it was, the Bucks had to battle through a first half where Giannis Antetokounmpo failed to score from the field on six attempts, and a game where their superstar was ultimately blocked seven times in total.

Milwaukee’s chances were undoubtedly helped by an encouragingly resurgent performance from Khris Middleton, as well as reliable excellence from Brook Lopez and Malcolm Brogdon, while Antetokounmpo still managed to finish with 27 points and 18 rebounds.

Regardless, that wasn’t enough to overcome the Thunder’s outstanding defense on this occasion.

With that acting as the background, let’s take a closer look at some of the key takeaways from the action.