The Milwaukee Bucks, winners of four of their last five, do battle for the final time before the All-Star break tonight when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder smashed the Bucks in the first game this season, but without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it could be closer this time (though I’m not holding my breath). It is also a back-to-back for both teams, which could throw a spanner in the works for either side.
Where We’re At
The Bucks are riding high after a terrific win last night over a playoff team,
the Orlando Magic. Of course, the major storyline from that game was how the newbies, Cam Thomas and Ousmane Dieng, performed in their first real minutes. Thomas went nuclear with 34 points on 12/20 shooting, including some preposterous makes, but we already knew he was capable of that. On the other hand, it was really more of a coming-out party for Dieng—who hadn’t had anywhere near that much opportunity in OKC—dropping 17 points on 5/8 from deep. Now it’s really about whether these guys can replicate that level of productivity (or even come close to it).
Without SGA, the Thunder have actually been stumbling a bit lately, losing the first two of their last four games (though they were against the Spurs and Rockets). However, Jalen Williams, who had been out for an extended period with a hamstring complaint, returned on Monday against the LA Lakers, dropping 23 in a win. Williams followed that up with 28 against Phoenix, with OKC winning that one too. So overall, this team is still a juggernaut; it’ll take a mammoth effort to take ‘em down.
Injury Report
Both teams are on a back-to-back, so the injury reports will be out at midday, but it’s safe to assume Giannis (neck), Taurean Prince (neck), and Ryan Rollins (foot) will miss for the Bucks. For OKC, we can assume SGA (abdominal) will be out, as will Ajay Mitchell (abdominal) and Thomas Sorber (ACL).
Player To Watch
I want to see if Ousmane Dieng can get places on the floor against the Thunder defence. Most of his shots were open threes against the Magic, and while it’s great that he knocked them down, I don’t think he’ll get those same easy looks tonight. The knock on him has been that he doesn’t play with enough explosion and force. Maybe he can start to prove that wrong as the season rolls along, but if he showed some stuff tonight against his former team? Oh, that’d be cool.
How To Watch
Prime Video at 6:30 p.m. CST.
