Milwaukee vs. Oklahoma City: Bucks Eviscerate Thunder, 133-86

Holy cow. Now that’s a win. The Milwaukee Bucks would give the Oklahoma City Thunder problems all night long and pulled away with a mammoth 133-86 victory, making them 51-8 on the season. Just wow.

Oklahoma City would score the first basket of the game, and found themselves up six early on. However, it wouldn’t be long before Giannis Antetokounmpo would start doing things his way. His nine points led Milwaukee in the first quarter and granted the home squad a lead throughout the majority of the opening twelve minutes. Robin Lopez’s seven points and Milwaukee’s 10 assists on 12 field goals in the period helped provide a 31-24 advantage moving into the second quarter.

The Thunder would stay right in the midst of things throughout the second period, never allowing the Bucks to stray too far with the lead. However, a pair of Wesley Matthews 3-pointers with four minutes to go granted Milwaukee their first double-digit lead of the period. And then soon after, they’d get their first 20+ digit lead of the game. That’s right. In the blink of an eye, Milwaukee launched themselves to a massive lead and carried a 71-47 lead into the locker room.

Things would continue to snowball for the Bucks moving forward. The third and fourth quarter would be a theme of nothing but destruction — and when I say destruction, I mean DESTRUCTION. For a majority of the final periods, Milwaukee would not only be up 30. Not just 40. But 50 POINTS. It was ugly and frankly, disrespectful. But it epitomized just how strong and ruthless this Bucks team is. When the Fat Lady finally sung, Milwaukee earned a massive 133-86 victory.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks. He’d finish with a stat line that read a game-high 32 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. Wesley Matthews, George Hill, and Pat Connaughton would all score 14 points apiece.

For the Thunder, Chris Paul was the leading scorer, wrapping up his evening with an 18 point performance. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was next in line with 11 points. No other player on the Thunder would register double digits.

Three Observations

Yes, the Bucks won by 47 points.

That is not a typo. They actually won by 47 points. For a good chunk of the second half, they’d find themselves up by 50. It really is scary just how quick this team can inflict their damage. I literally blinked and they were up by 25. Then, after halftime rolled around, they were up 30. Then 40. And then 50. It kept snowballing. Everyone was contributing. In fact, everybody that took the floor scored a basket. I was expecting a win tonight, but not a win by these margins, and especially without Khris Middleton. Unreal. This team keeps being amazing.

Giannis Antetokounmpo kept doing Giannis Antetokounmpo things.

I was pretty busy at work today so I wasn’t able to keep up with all of the Giannis-Harden drama, but I think you could say Giannis had that on his mind tonight. It was another night of success at the office for him, as he tallied 32 points on 13-of-20 shooting. He’d also pull down 13 rebounds and dish out six assists. Add that all up and you get a +44 RPM. Again, that is not a typo. He earned a +44. Talk about skill. Going all the way down the Bucks roster, every player earned a positive RPM. When you win by 47 points, that tends to be the case.

IT FINALLY HAPPENED.

Ladies and gentlemen, it took 30 games, but a fan has finally hit the halfcourt shot in the Potawatomi Jackpot Shot!

Before the contestants took the floor to take the free throws, I told my buddy Jack Maloney that one of them was going to hit the half-courter. After taking a David Luiz-esque penalty approach in the run-up, we finally got our winner. Take a look through that thread. We’ve had some pretty brutal attempts, but we’ve finally made it.

Bonus Bucks Bits

• The Bucks have now won 35 games by double-digits or more. The evisceration continues.
• I continue to be amazed by what Donte DiVincenzo brings to the floor. To quote Stephen A., he is a baaaaaad man. His intensity is unmatched out there. He’s becoming a true presence on the glass, and I’m really excited to see what he has in store during the playoffs. Should be a fun time.
• Tonight was the Bucks’ throwback night. I saw a lot of chatter and disappointment on Twitter about how the Bucks weren’t wearing their purple jerseys. My prediction is that they’ll bring back the purple jerseys in 2021 (20 year anniversary of the 2001 squad). That’d be pretty rad.
• In the jersey department, I remain unimpressed by the Thunder’s jerseys. I think it’s the color scheme for me. It’s tough to make orange and blue work, whatever the sport may be. Just not a fan.
• I still cannot believe the Bucks won by 47 points without Khris Middleton. Just incredible.