OKC Thunder 8 most costly losses of 2017-18 season

December 29th, versus Milwaukee Bucks

Not all games are lost in the final moments. As the Thunder learned when they played the Bucks in December. Milwaukee hung 38 on the OKC Thunder in the first quarter. 38 points is tied for the second most points allowed in a first quarter against OKC this season.

An NBA game lasts 48 minutes, which is plenty of time to make a run of your own. However, digging yourself a 20 point hole is not ideal. Whereas it allows one team to play loose, while the other is exhausting themselves trying to catch up.

The Thunder were able to outscore the Bucks in each of the next three-quarters. Yet it wasn’t enough to overcome the first quarter outburst as Milwaukee won wire-to-wire.

For the second time this season the following day when the Last Two Minute Report was released it confirmed what everyone who watched the game already knew. Giannis Antetokounmpo stepped out-of-bounds on the game winning drive. The game should not hinge on a made or missed call, but in this instance it did.

Had the Thunder played better in the first quarter the missed call wouldn’t have had as great an impact on the outcome of the game. The reason this loss made the list was due to the Thunder’s shortcomings, not the officiating.