Thunder Lose to Bucks In Double Overtime Thriller, 132-136

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost their seventh game of the season to the Milwaukee Bucks in Paycom Center in what was a wild game that saw two overtime periods take place. Milwaukee’s Jevon Carter and Brook Lopez stepped up to combine for 50 points and knock off Oklahoma City once again, 136-132.

After missing two games due to a shoulder issue, Aleksej Pokusevski returned to the Thunder’s starting lineup. Meanwhile, the Bucks would be without former MVP Giannis Antetekounmpo and four-time All-Defense guard, Jrue Holiday.

Milwaukee opened up the first quarter with a 12-4 run, scoring 23 points behind seven threes, including four triples coming from the hot hand of Carter. But Oklahoma City was able to hang in the game behind a stellar first quarter due to their effort and defense.

The Thunder also scored the ball well, going 3-for-7 from beyond the arc and 10-for-23 from the field. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, and the returning Pokusevski combined to pour in 21 points to lead the Thunder to a 27-27 to round out the first frame.

The second frame featured a rare moment: Oklahoma City’s second unit, featuring four guards, and no Josh Giddey or Gilgeous-Alexander, knocked down three quick 3-pointers to gain a 36-33 edge.

The Thunder found themselves in the bonus around the seven-minute mark, putting the Bucks on their heels, defensively. But Milwaukee would keep the game close (for a while) thanks to Carter’s scoring.

The Thunder would start to lose some steam late in the second, giving officials a reason to put air in their whistles and giving up too many buckets while struggling to find their own.

The first half would end after Pokusevski nailed another 3-pointer and the Bucks’ George Hill flew down to the other end to score a quick two, keeping the game tied at 52-52 heading into the break.

After an even game in the first half, the Bucks’ rookie wing, Marjon Beauchamp, and Jevon Carter combined for three triples before the eight-minute mark to shift the momentum and take a convincing 71-64 lead.

But the Thunder would quickly tie up the game 75-75 after Pokusevski ended the Bucks’ run with a smooth corner 3-pointer. Giddey and Gilgeous-Alexander would chip in a few buckets after that to even things up late in the third.

The Thunder appeared to be pulling away after Tre Mann hit two quick 3-pointers and Gilgeous-Alexander found a few buckets against the Bucks' defense, bringing the score to 87-81.

But with few seconds remaining in the third, after an inbounds pass, George Hill raced down to the other end of the floor to score an improbable triple to find three more points before the close of the third.

The final frame of tonight’s matchup opened up with Beauchamp nailing another triple and tying the match up once again, 87-87, marking the 12th tie of the game. Thereon after, both offenses really started to open things up, going back and forth and exchanging buckets seemingly every trip down the floor.

After a long stop in the game action, referees determined that Mann committed a clear path foul, giving the Bucks’ Hill two free throws and his team the possession of the ball afterward. This ultimately resulted in a four-point swing, giving the Bucks a 98-92 lead early.

Another big triple by Beauchamp put the Bucks up by 10 but Oklahoma City’s Mann and Gilgeous-Alexander would answer with their own big buckets to keep the game within reach.

After an improbable series of plays, the Thunder would somehow find their way back into the game in the last two minutes of the quarter. After an official review to determine whether or not Dort's 3-pointer grazed the rim, Dort would score on a backdoor cut to tie the game up once more, 119-119.

With less than 40 seconds remaining in the game, the Bucks attempted to find a bucket for Brook Lopez but Pokusevski and the Thunder would find a stop. And Mark Daigneault would wisely call a timeout after Dort crossed the halfcourt line to draw up a play with 25.1 seconds remaining.

The following possession would result in another Pokusevski 3-point attempt, but his shot was too strong and the Bucks were able to corral the rebound to draw up a play on the other end of the court with 10.9 seconds on the clock.

The Bucks would fail to score after Carter attempted an open mid-range jumper and the game would head to overtime.

Overtime started off with Carter drawing first blood and scoring two points on a mid-range jumper. The Thunder would miss their first few buckets, failing to match Milwaukee.

After the Thunder failed to score on their next possessions, Josh Giddey would take things into is own hands, scoring two points on a post-up versus Carter, tying the game up 121-121. Gilgeous-Alexander would draw a shooting foul to score the next two points and put the Thunder in the bonus once and in the lead, 123-121.

Lopez and Portis would find a quick four points to put the Bucks up 125-123 with eight seconds left in the game.

But it was the Thunder’s franchise cornerstone, Canadian superstar Gilgeous-Alexander to answer back with a massively clutch step-back 3-pointer over Wesley Matthews to seemingly send Milwaukee off with a loss in hand, 126-125.

But Dort would be called for a shooting foul on Lopez after the Bucks drew up a lob play for the big man. Lopez would miss the first free throw but made the second, sending the match to a second overtime.

In the sixth frame of the night, Giddey and Carter exchanged buckets for their respective teams to kick off the bonus quarter.

After a series of misses from both squads, it was Lopez and Portis providing another set of big buckets in the post for the Bucks. The Thunder’s offense would go cold and they would suffer a four-point disadvantage with 40 seconds remaining.

Gilgeous-Alexander would quickly draw a foul on the other end of the floor and knock down two free throws and pull the Thunder within two points of the Bucks.

With little time remaining in the period, the Thunder would be forced to play the fouling game but would fail to find a way to win. The match would finally come to a close and the Bucks would take home the victory, 136-132.

Oklahoma City will stay home and enjoy a day off tomorrow before taking on the Toronto Raptors at Paycom Center, Friday night at 7:00 p.m. CST.

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