Former Thunder star Usman Jang leads Milwaukee's dominant win, exposing OKC's lack of focus before the All-Star break.
The Oklahoma City Thunder hosted the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, the day before the NBA All-Star break. For a shorthanded Thunder team clearly looking ahead to some time off, it showed. There was a lack of focus and attention to detail from the opening tip. Despite missing key players, this just wasn’t the typical Thunder performance that this team has built its identity on.
Interestingly enough, the star of the game was Ousmane Dieng, who spent the first several years of his career in Oklahoma City but is no longer part of the Thunder after being traded away last week. He made a statement against his former team, leading the way for Milwaukee in a blowout victory with 19 points.
Across the board, Oklahoma City simply was not sharp. The defense struggled to contain Milwaukee’s rhythm, and the offense never truly clicked. The Thunder managed just 93 points on the night and had only three players reach double figures. Isaiah Joe and Chet Holmgren led the way with 17 and 16 points, respectively, while Jaren McCain added 13 of his own. Beyond that, there just wasn’t enough production.
Still, the bigger picture remains unchanged. The Thunder enter the All-Star break with the best record in the NBA and firm control of first place in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City holds a three-game cushion over the San Antonio Spurs for the top spot, and the extended break offers an opportunity to get closer to full health.
And when this team is fully healthy, we’ve already seen what it looks like. This is the same group that won a championship last season and opened this year at a historic pace when near full strength. Losses like this, especially right before the All-Star break, ultimately don’t carry much long-term weight.
For Oklahoma City, the focus now shifts to recovery and regrouping, with the goal of closing the regular season strong on the other side of the break.