Oklahoma City Thunder versus Milwaukee Bucks preview
By Chris Hughes
After a disappointing weekend loss to the Charlotte Hornets, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be hoping to end their three-game homestand with a victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Tip-off is 8:00 PM E.T.
Despite being one of the NBA’s top teams at home this season, the Thunder have the very realistic possibility of ending a three-game run at the Chesapeake Energy Arena without a win.
Since Friday night the side has lost to both the San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte. Tonight they play host to one of the Eastern Conference’s hottest teams: the Milwaukee Bucks.
Despite losing their last game to the Dallas Mavericks the Bucks are still fifth in their conference thanks to a 7-3 run, which now sees them boast a record of 40-37.
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Meanwhile the Thunder’s chances of landing a higher seed seem all but over, having now slipped to three wins behind the Los Angeles Clippers with six games left to play.
However there’s still plenty to play for in Oklahoma City, with the Memphis Grizzlies just 1.5 wins behind them in the seventh seed. And interestingly it’s the Grizzlies who are OKC’s next opponents, meaning they’ll want to stay ahead of the pace going into that matchup tomorrow.
Previous matchups
Milwaukee will go into the game looking to win the series for the first time since the 2008/09 campaign, having beaten Oklahoma City back in January 98-94.
That win ended a three-game win-streak for the Thunder against the Bucks, and was also the first time in three matches that they have been limited to less than a hundred points against the Wisconsin-based franchise.
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Russell Westbrook led that matchup in scoring with 30 points, while Giannis Antetokounmpo grabbed a double-double of 26 points and ten rebounds. Steven Adams also enjoyed a stellar game that night, scoring 20 points off nine-from-eleven shooting.
Incidentally, the Milwaukee win back at the start of the year brought the complete regular-season series to a 68-68 tie from 136 games played, meaning one side will once again break way tonight.
Fitting history
All eyes will once again be on point guard Russell Westbrook tonight, as he bids to earn his 41st triple-double for the season.
Should he grab another tonight, it’d see the 28-year-old tie Oscar Robertson’s 55-year strong record for triple-doubles in a single campaign, and it’d be a fitting tribute to the retired guard.
This is because Robertson was part of the only Milwaukee Bucks team to have won an NBA championship, when he teamed up with a young Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during the early 1970’s.
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Furthermore, another T-D for Russ tonight would see him tie Michael Jordan’s record for seven in consecutive games. Earlier this season Westbrook came close, grabbing six in a row again.
The MVP candidate is averaging a league-high 31.9 points for the season, and has only improved his game since the All-Star break.
Frontcourt danger
OKC’s front-court will arguably have the toughest and most important job tonight, as they bid to shut down Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Greek Freak leads the Bucks in all five major stats with 23.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.9 blocks.
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The 22-year-old has scored 20+ points in all of his last eight games, with three of those performances including 30+ point returns.
It’s not like the youngster will need many shots at the bucket to rack up the points either, having shot over 50 percent from the field since the start of March.
Trying to keep him at the perimeter might just be their best shot of success however, with Antetokounmpo only averaging around 30 percent from beyond the arc as of late.
Predicted starting line-ups
Oklahoma City Thunder:
- Point Guard: Russell Westbrook
- Shooting Guard: Victor Oladipo
- Small Forward: Andre Roberson
- Power Forward: Taj Gibson
- Center: Steven Adams
Notable Substitutes: Enes Kanter (C, PF), Doug McDermott (SF), Jerami Grant (SF, PF).
Milwaukee Bucks:
- Point guard: Matthew Dellavedova
- Shooting Guard: Tony Snell
- Small Forward: Kris Middleton
- Power Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Center: Thon Maker
Notable Substitutes: Greg Monroe (C), Jason Terry (SG), Malcolm Brogdon (SG).
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Game Specifics
The Thunder will be able to boast a full-strength team for the clutch part of the season, with no injuries to note across their roster.
Milwaukee meanwhile have no fresh injuries to note, meaning only John Henson and Jabari Parker remain unavailable for Jason Kidd’s side.
The game will take place at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City with an estimated 8:00 PM Eastern tip-off. It is being broadcast on both ESPN and on British channel BT Sport, but you can also listen along on WWLS 98.1FM OKC if you’re a Oklahoma native.
If you enjoyed this preview then check out Chris Hughes’ Thunderous Intentions profile for more previews and his weekly series.