Despite a depleted roster, Gilgeous-Alexander ignited the Thunder's dominant win over the Bucks with 40 points.
The Oklahoma City Thunder entered Milwaukee on Wednesday night extremely shorthanded. The team had only eight players on standard contracts available to suit up, and by the end of the night, that number dropped to seven after Ajay Mitchell left the game early with a hip contusion. So the Thunder effectively had half of its 15-man roster available, along with its three two-way players. But that was more than enough against the Bucks in a blowout 122–102 victory.
Oklahoma City built a 20-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back. This was the final game of a four-game road trip, and it capped off what has been a really strong two-week stretch where the Thunder finally looks like itself again after a brief slump around the holidays.
Before Mitchell went out, he was one of the standout performers. He finished with 18 points, including 12 in the first quarter, and for the first nine minutes of the game, he was quite literally outscoring the Bucks by himself. He was on fire and likely would have ended the night with an even bigger stat line had he not exited early.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had one of the most efficient games of his entire career, pouring in 40 points on 16-of-19 shooting. He missed just three shots from the floor all night, while also dishing out 11 assists, eight of those coming in the first half, to go along with seven rebounds. It was a complete and dominant performance from OKC’s superstar.
Kenrich Williams was excellent off the bench once again, continuing to establish himself as one of the most reliable complementary pieces on the roster. He finished with 18 points of his own and brought steady energy on both ends of the floor. Lu Dort added 13 points, knocking down three shots from beyond the arc, while Chet Holmgren had a quieter night statistically but still contributed 10 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.
The Thunder didn’t rely on the three-point shot in this one, but instead consistently punished Milwaukee inside the arc, finishing with 11 more two-point attempts than the Bucks. They also won the rebounding battle, which is particularly impressive given Oklahoma City is currently without two of its primary centers in the rotation.
From start to finish, this game was never really in doubt. The Bucks didn’t lead for a single second, and the Thunder controlled the tempo from the opening tip.
Oklahoma City will now return home for a matchup against the Indiana Pacers on Friday, hosting the same team they beat in the NBA Finals last June as they look to keep this strong stretch rolling.