© Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
The slow-starting Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder
The Milwaukee Bucks couldn’t recover from a poor start and bowed to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 101-124, in their fourth preseason game on Tuesday night at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard played their second straight game as teammates, but the duo couldn’t save the Bucks from falling to 2-2 in the preseason.
A bad game for Dame
Lillard typified Milwaukee’s bad start as he went 0-of-4 in the first quarter, which saw the Thunder race to a 5-0 start and ended the period with a 27-19 lead.
After leading the Bucks to a 108-97 win over the LA Lakers with a solid 14-point, two-rebound, two-assist, four-steal outing last Sunday night, Lillard struggled against the Thunder as he just finished with five points on a dismal 2-for-11 shooting night from the field and a 0-of-5 clip from three-point range.
Giannis ended up with a double-double, piling up 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The two All-Star teammates both logged 25 minutes of playing time. The Bucks moved within 54-59 at the half, but the Thunder staged a decisive run in the third, breaking the game wide open with a 37-23 run for a big 86-77 lead with one quarter left to play.
Hot-shooting Thunder
As Lillard fired blanks, it also didn’t help that the Bucks played without Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton, Jae Crowder, and Bobby Portis Jr.
Aside from Antetokounmpo, Malik Beasley was the only other Milwaukee starter to score in double figures with 20 points. AJ Green added 13 points, while rookie Andre Jackson Jr. contributed 12 for the Bucks, who shot 36-of-92 (39%) from the field.
The Thunder, who climbed to 2-2 in the preseason, made 48 of their 85 attempts from the field for a high 56% shooting clip.
Four Oklahoma starters scored in double digits, with Josh Giddey leading the charge with 19 points. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren each tallied 18 points, while Shai Gilgeous Alexander added 10.
