Three Takeaways From The Thunder's Win Against The Bucks

The Oklahoma City Thunder traveled to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks for their fifth preseason game on Tuesday night. It was a back-and-forth contest the whole game, with the Thunder eventually prevailing 116-112.

The Thunder trailed early in the game as they ended the first quarter down 37-33. However, the defending NBA champions didn’t stay down as they outscored the Bucks by 12 points in the second quarter to take a 73-65 lead heading into halftime.

The battle continued in the third quarter as the Thunder only scored 14 points and once again fell behind 90-87 heading into the fourth. The game would then come down to the final minute as Youngblood hit two free throws with 20 seconds left to ice the game and put OKC out of reach of Milwaukee.

Through this hard-fought game, the Thunder showed flashes of what their identity will be as a team this season.

Here are three takeaways from the Thunders win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Thunder player — Oct 14, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder Head Coach Mark Daigneault watches his team against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

1. The Thunder’s defense continues to benefit their offense

The Oklahoma City Thunder have continued to benefit from their aggressive defense as they forced 21 turnovers against the Bucks. OKC started this trend early in the game as they forced 10 turnovers in the first quarter, with nine of those being steals.

These extra opportunities allowed the Thunder to turn its defense into offense as they had 18 points off turnovers. Cason Wallace and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were the main instigators, as they had five and three steals, respectively.

2. Brooks Barnhizer is an exciting young player to keep an eye on

The second-round draft pick for the Thunder showed real potential in the matchup against the Bucks. Barnhizer did a little bit of everything and had his second double-double in a row. Barnhizer had 10 points, two assists, two steals and led the team in rebounding with 12 boards.

Barnhizer has seen valuable minutes in the Thunder’s preseason stretch and has played a key role in multiple games. With Oklahoma City’s roster being so deep, every game is a chance for the rookie to carve his way into the rotation, and he has made his case so far.

Chris Youngblood shootin — Oct 11, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Youngblood (3) shoots the ball in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

3. The Thunder continue to get each other open

OKC’s roster is filled with individual talent that could get easy buckets by themselves, but that’s not how the Thunder play. The Thunder had had 29 assists on Tuesday night against Milwaukee, with 20 of their 29 first-half made baskets being off of assists. This helped progress their offense as they had 73 points in the first half.

In his time playing, Gilgeous-Alexander facilitated the ball efficiently, as he had six assists in just 19 minutes, all while scoring 23 points as well. The assist leader for the night was Cason Wallace, as he had eight. The Thunder’s selfless style of play continues to propel their offensive proficiency and will be something to look forward to this season.