Player Grades: OKC Thunder get fifth straight win by downing Bucks

OKC Thunder Best Reserve:

Dennis Schroder was great tonight. He proved why he was so valuable to this team again tonight. Russell Westbrook did not have it, that has been well documented. Dennis Schroder was able to stabilize the offense, take control, and keep the OKC Thunder afloat even while their superstar Russell Westbrook went cold.

Schroder scored fourteen points on 36 percent shooting and dished out seven assists. The triple-double on the personal stat line from Westbrook hides how rough the game was, but Schroder helped hide that in the overall box score. Schroder and George did a great job tonight of setting up guys like Grant and Ferguson offensively.

There is no question Schroder provides so much for OKC, and while tonight was an MVP type moment from PG13, this was a sixth man of the year type moment for Dennis (if that is even a thing, a sixth man of the year moment)

Best Opponent:

If you consume any NBA content at all, you have heard that a big reason for the Bucks success is Lopez developing a 3-point shot.

Tonight was no different as Lopez poured in five threes on his way to scoring 19 points. He shot 83 percent from beyond the arc tonight and was just a killer for the Thunder especially in his hot first quarter stretch.

Final Thoughts

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The OKC Thunder got a huge win for all to see tonight. On ESPN, against a team the national media expects to make a deep playoff run, the OKC Thunder shot better from the floor and better from deep than the Bucks. They outrebounded the Bucks and had more assists, fewer turnovers and more blocks in this one. A complete game from the Thunder that saw their lead at one time get to nineteen points.

Next up the OKC Thunder take on the Orlando Magic, in what should be an easy match up to extend this winning streak to six games.

For the full box score visit ESPN and for game highlights, click the video above. As always check the site frequently for our daily Thunder content.