The Oklahoma City Thunder decided to part ways with Ousmane Dieng last week at the NBA trade deadline, sending him to Charlotte for Mason Plumlee, as he'd get moved two more times before ending up on the Milwaukee Bucks via a three-team deal.

The 11th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Dieng has shown flashes in his NBA career, but never enough to crack the rotation of the reigning NBA Champions. A change of scenery was what both sides needed, and with the Bucks facing the Thunder on Thursday night, Dieng reminded them of what they traded away.

In the final game for both sides before the All-Star break, with each team dealing with injuries to key players, it was the Bucks who prevailed. Led by Dieng's 19 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks, the Bucks won every single quarter en route to a 110-93 victory.

A career high in rebounds and blocks, the 22-year-old Dieng flashed for the Bucks in his second-straight game, giving Milwaukee hope they might've found a steal by giving up virtually nothing.

In addition to Dieng, the Bucks got strong play from Bobby Portis, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, and Kevin Porter Jr., who had 12 points, seven assists, and three steals. No player on Milwaukee scored 20 or more points, but that wasn't needed since they came to play on the defensive end.

The Bucks held the Thunder to 37% shooting from the field and 33% shooting from three-point range, holding All-Star forward Chet Holmgren to 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting, as Isaiah Joe led the way with 17 points.

After the game, in place of Doc Rivers, assistant coach Darwin Ham spoke to the team's effort on the defensive end of the court.

“It was a total team effort, but our defense tonight was spectacular. Against a team like that — and I know they had people out of the lineup but — that’s a championship team top to bottom. You saw what they did to Phoenix — a really good basketball team — last night," Ham said.

The Thunder were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Isaiah Hartenstein, but they are still the reigning NBA Champions with a strong supporting cast. On the flip side, the Bucks were without both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ryan Rollins.

Milwaukee now heads into the All-Star break with a 5-1 record over their past six games and will resume action next week when they face the New Orleans Pelicans on the road.