The last time the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder played, the game didn’t count in the NBA regular season standings. However, it was still significant, as the Bucks won 97-81 on Dec. 17 in the NBA Cup championship game in Las Vegas.
On Monday night in Oklahoma City, the teams will meet again for the first time since that match.
In their previous game, Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 26 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists. Andre Jackson Jr. also played a key role defensively, limiting Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 21 points on 8-of-24 shooting.
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 21 points or fewer only twice this season.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said that Jackson’s defense forced them to move Gilgeous-Alexander off the ball to conserve energy. “Rather than having him go get the ball in the backcourt and exert a lot of effort to get the ball and get the ball over half court, we move him off the ball,” Daigneault explained.
“It’s an attack we’ve seen with Dillon Brooks. It’s an attack we’ve seen with Herb Jones. There’s multiple ways to play him, and we’ve got solutions built in.”
Jackson welcomed the challenge, saying, “I’m not afraid to step up to the plate against anybody just cause that’s my role and that’s who I’ve had to always be in order to make it this far. That’s what’s going to continue to take me further is I’m not afraid of any competition, any matchup.”
The Thunder are coming off a 144-110 win over Sacramento on Saturday, starting a four-game homestand. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points in just three quarters, but the standout performer was Aaron Wiggins, who scored a career-high 41 points.
Since their NBA Cup loss to Milwaukee, the Thunder have gone 18-4, cementing their spot at the top of the Western Conference.
Milwaukee had hoped that their NBA Cup win would mark a turning point after a rough start to the season, but that hasn’t happened. Following a 132-119 loss to Memphis on Sunday, the Bucks have gone 12-10 since their win over the Thunder. They’ve lost three straight games and four of their last five. During their three-game losing streak, the Bucks have allowed an average of 133.7 points per game.
Oklahoma City could be missing some players again on Monday. Jalen Williams, recently named to his first All-Star team, is listed as questionable with a right wrist sprain after sitting out Saturday’s game.
Cason Wallace (right shoulder strain) and Alex Caruso (left ankle sprain) are also listed as questionable. Caruso missed the win over Sacramento, while Wallace injured his shoulder early in that game and did not return.
For Milwaukee, Bobby Portis, who has been the subject of trade rumors ahead of Thursday’s deadline, missed his fifth consecutive game on Sunday due to personal reasons. Bucks coach Doc Rivers said he wasn’t sure if Portis would play in Oklahoma City.
