SGA scores 31 as Thunder beat Bucks 121-105 for 10th win in last 11 games

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points and eight assists as the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 121-105 on Sunday night.

Isaiah Hartenstein added a career-high 24 points plus 12 rebounds to help the Thunder win for the 10th time in 11 games. Isaiah Joe scored 19 points off the bench. Chet Holmgren had 16 points and eight rebounds.

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his 52nd career triple-double. Damian Lillard added 19 points for the Bucks despite shooting just 3 of 9 from the floor.

Oklahoma City pulled ahead for good early in the second quarter and eventually led by as many as 25 points. The Thunder shot 51.7% while holding Milwaukee to 39.8%

Both teams were playing for a second straight night. The Thunder won 113-107 at Detroit on Saturday, while the Bucks beat the Indiana Pacers 126-119 at home.

Takeaways From Griffin Media Thunder Reporter Steve McGehee:

-No Dort, No Jalen Williams and OKC picks up their first win in Milwaukee since April of 2019.

-Incredible road trip for the Thunder, going 2-1. It would’ve been great for the Thunder to win all three. Oklahoma City knocks off three playoff teams and improves to 24-1 against the Eastern Conference this year. 

-Isaiah Joe and Isaiah Hartenstein played a big part in the win Sunday night at Milwaukee. Joe came off the bench and scored a quick 11 points and finished with 19 points on 5/9 shooting from behind the arc. Meanwhile, Hartenstein looked like option number one on offense at times, he finished with a career-high 24 points.

-The Thunder never let Antetokounmpo and Lillard get into any type of rhythm on offense, the two combined for 40 points on 10/24 shooting from the field. Oklahoma City took control of this game in the second quarter, outscoring the Bucks 29-15

Key moment

Antetokounmpo dunked to cut Oklahoma City’s lead to 46-41 with 4:42 left in the second quarter, but the Bucks wouldn’t score again until 10:26 remained in the third period. The Thunder scored 13 straight points during Milwaukee’s drought to extend their advantage to 59-41.

Key stat

The Bucks posted their lowest first-half point total of the season to trail 53-41 at the break. They were outscored 29-15 in the second quarter, matching their lowest second-quarter scoring output of the season.

Up next

The Bucks play at Golden State on Tuesday. The Thunder host the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.

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