3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ big win over OKC Thunder
By Dalton Sell
After beating them earlier in the season, the Milwaukee Bucks visited the OKC Thunder last night with hopes of sweeping the 2021-22 regular season series. Riding a four-game win streak before the game tipped off, the Bucks were riding a wave of momentum from several impressive wins in recent days, and they looked to keep the ball rolling against this Thunder team.
This one was virtually all Milwaukee from start to finish as the defending champions battled back from down six points early in the first quarter and then never looked back. Although OKC made an incredibly valiant effort to keep this matchup close with tough shots and timely plays, Milwaukee’s lead hung around 15 points for the most part and grew to 27 in the closing moments. After a busy 48 minutes of basketball, the Bucks secured the 142-115 road victory.
With all that being said, let us take a closer look at three takeaways from the matchup.
The Milwaukee Bucks were clicking offensively as they scored a season-high 142 points against the OKC Thunder
The Bucks have found a nice groove offensively following the All-Star break, which was certainly on full display in last night’s commanding victory against the Thunder. The defending champions scored a season-high 142 points in the victory, having shot 53-of-100 (53 percent) from the floor, 20-of-40 (50 percent) from 3-point range, and 16-of-20 (80 percent) from the free throw line.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the scoring barrage as he had yet another incredible performance by scoring 39 points in the win, but there will be more on him in a moment. Khris Middleton found a groove in this one by scoring 25 points on 52.9 percent field goal shooting, while Bobby Portis hit seven of his 11 shot attempts, two of which were triples, en route to an 18 point game. It was not another monstrous game for Jrue Holiday, who chipped in 13 points on 50 percent shooting, but the guard undoubtedly did his share of contributing with some impressive makes.
A significant reason behind all this scoring was Milwaukee’s stellar passing, as the team combined to dish out 35 assists, finishing one shy of tying a season-high. Middleton finished just one assist short of a double-double as he handed out nine in the game, while Antetokounmpo followed close behind with seven assists of his own. Although Holiday did not do much scoring, he dished out six assists to get the ball movement going.
The Bucks will obviously not score 142 points nightly, but it is welcoming to see them find some rhythm offensively lately as they enter the final stretch of the regular season.