Milwaukee Bucks to host OKC without two of its top players in the mix

The Milwaukee Bucks are hoping to prove they can play with anyone as they host defending champion Oklahoma City, but their task in this nationally televised clash got significantly tougher. Guard Kevin Porter Jr., the team's second-leading scorer and assist leader, and center Myles Turner, the top shot blocker, have both been ruled out.

Porter was moved to the bench for Monday's win over Atlanta as a way to get more size into the lineup and still led the team with seven assists in leading the reserves in minutes played. He's been ruled out due to a strained oblique.

Turner started in the 112-110 win over the Hawks, finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds, but suffered a sprain of his left ankle and won't play vs. OKC. Unless coach Doc Rivers wants to move Bobby Portis into the first five, Jericho Sims will likely start.

Pete Nance, just promoted from the G League, is also an option coming off a nice 15-minutes stint where he provided solid defense, hit a 3-pointer and pitched in with four rebounds. Kyle Kuzma rejoined the Milwaukee starting lineup in Porter's place to open the week, while Ryan Rollins and AJ Green stayed put as Rivers' backcourt.

The Bucks are looking to go on a run leading up to the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline. With five of the next eight at home and this being the toughest test in the stretch, Milwaukee is hoping to utilize and upset here as a springboard towards getting to .500, entering 18-24 and in 11th place in the East.

These teams haven’t played since March 16, when OKC finished off a season sweep with a 121-105 victory in Milwaukee behind 31 points and eight assists from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Giannis Antetokounmpo produced a triple-double but his Bucks were held to just 15 points in the second quarter as the Thunder took control and never looked back. The Thunder won't have All-Star forward Jalen Willams, who suffered a hamstring injury in Miami. Guard Alex Caruso is also out.

Milwaukee last defeated Oklahoma City on March 24, 2024, posting a 118-93 rout that marked its sixth straight win in the series. The Thunder have never won four straight against the Bucks as they’re attempting to do on Wednesday, last beating Milwaukee in four consecutive games when they were the Seattle Supersonics back in 2001-02.

Milwaukee has dropped four of six, losing at Golden State, Denver, home against Minnesota and in San Antonio before their Martin Luther King Day matinee conquest of the Hawks. The only other win came at the Lakers, so the Bucks are clearly stuck in a challenging stretch in their schedule as they open a three-game homestand that concludes with a rematch against the Nuggets and a matchup with the Dallas Mavericks.

OKC is in town to close a three-game roadie that opened with a 122-120 upset loss in Miami and continued with a 136-104 rout in Cleveland. The Thunder have won six of seven, looking like their usual selves again after a 6-6 stretch from Dec. 13-Jan. 5. A 124-97 home loss to the Hornets was rock bottom, but their last four wins have come by double-digits.

The Bucks are 9-10 at Fiserv Forum and are playing on their home floor for just the fifth time since Dec. 11. OKC has a 16-5 road record that is the NBA’s best alongside 17-7 Denver.