The Milwaukee Bucks played one of their best games of the season on Sunday night against the Thunder. It was clear that the Bucks wanted this one from start to finish. In a potential NBA Finals preview, Milwaukee showed they have what it takes to win it all in June.
Milwaukee Bucks prove they are a championship caliber team with dominating win over Thunder
It was quite the win for the Bucks, as they outplayed and outhustled the Thunder for most of the night. The Bucks won the game with their defense, holding one of the league's best offenses to 93 points.
Most impressively, they held potential MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to only 12 points and forced him to turn the ball over four times. Considering Gilgeous-Alexander averages over 30 points per game and a little over two turnovers per game, it's great to see Milwaukee shut him down that well defensively.
Additionally, Sunday's win offered a glimpse into what the Bucks will look like with their core four healthy. Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Brook Lopez started the game. Depth has been a concern for Milwaukee this season, but they look to be getting healthy just in time for the home stretch of the regular season.
Middleton has played in three games after a month-long absence and has been spectacular in all three. In the victory against the Thunder, Middleton posted the second triple-double of his career. Middleton's triple-double came with a funny moment, as coach Doc Rivers tried to remove him from the game when he was one point shy of achieving it. Middleton campaigned to stay in the game and finished the accomplishment.
Sunday's beatdown of Oklahoma City shows that the Bucks have what it takes to win another championship this season. The Thunder came in with the top seed in the Western Conference, and Milwaukee kept them in check for four quarters.
An entirely focused and fully healthy Bucks team is dangerous. When playing their best basketball, the Bucks will be a tough out for any matchup. The intensity shown against the Thunder will be needed in the postseason for the Bucks to make a run at the title in 2024.
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