Game ID: 22301030
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Milwaukee Bucks
Sunday, March 24, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
MIL 25 23 34 36 118OKC 22 25 17 29 93
MIL vs OKC ScoutingMIL vs OKC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
MIL availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restOUT Middleton missed 15 since 2/08, out tonight
OUT Beauchamp missed 3 since 3/08, out tonight
BACK Green back 3/12 after 2, 17 min since (155% of 11)
BACK Jackson Jr. back 3/12 after 2, 7 min since (65% of 10)
MIL availability going into 3/17 · 2 days' restOUT Middleton missed 16 since 2/08, returns tonight: 26 min (91% of 28)
OUT Beauchamp missed 4 since 3/08, out tonight
BACK Green back 3/12 after 2, 23 min since (205% of 11)
BACK Jackson Jr. back 3/12 after 2, 7 min since (65% of 10)
MIL availability going into 3/20 · 2 days' restOUT Beauchamp missed 5 since 3/08, out tonight
OUT Jackson Jr. missed 2 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Middleton back 3/17 after 16, 26 min since (91% of 28)
BACK Green back 3/12 after 2, 20 min since (184% of 11)
MIL availability going into 3/21 · back-to-backOUT Antetokounmpo missed 2 since 3/17, returns tonight: 35 min (99% of 35)
OUT Beauchamp missed 6 since 3/08, out tonight
OUT Jackson Jr. missed 3 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Middleton back 3/17 after 16, 29 min since (103% of 28)
BACK Green back 3/12 after 2, 17 min since (156% of 11)
MIL availability going into 3/24 · 2 days' restOUT Beauchamp missed 7 since 3/08, returns tonight: 4 min (35% of 12)
OUT Jackson Jr. missed 4 since 3/14, returns tonight: 4 min (35% of 10)
BACK Antetokounmpo back 3/21 after 2, 35 min since (99% of 35)
BACK Middleton back 3/17 after 16, 29 min since (103% of 28)
BACK Green back 3/12 after 2, 17 min since (150% of 11)
MIL availability going into 3/26 · 1 day's restBACK Antetokounmpo back 3/21 after 2, 34 min since (97% of 35)
BACK Middleton back 3/17 after 16, 28 min since (101% of 28)
BACK Beauchamp back 3/24 after 7, 4 min since (35% of 12)
BACK Jackson Jr. back 3/24 after 4, 4 min since (35% of 10)
NEW Green 11 to 16 min over the last 4
MIL availability going into 3/28 · 1 day's restBACK Antetokounmpo back 3/21 after 2, 38 min since (109% of 35)
BACK Middleton back 3/17 after 16, 31 min since (110% of 28)
BACK Beauchamp back 3/24 after 7, 4 min since (35% of 12)
BACK Jackson Jr. back 3/24 after 4, 4 min since (35% of 10)
NEW Portis 25 to 30 min over the last 5
MIL availability going into 3/30 · 1 day's restOUT Beauchamp missed 2 since 3/26, out tonight
OUT Jackson Jr. missed 2 since 3/26, out tonight
BACK Antetokounmpo back 3/21 after 2, 39 min since (109% of 35)
MIL availability going into 4/02 · 2 days' restOUT Beauchamp missed 3 since 3/26, out tonight
OUT Jackson Jr. missed 3 since 3/26, out tonight
BACK Antetokounmpo back 3/21 after 2, 38 min since (109% of 35)
NEW Middleton 28 to 34 min over the last 4
OKC availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restBACK Jay. Williams back 3/08 after 3, 12 min since (95% of 13)
BACK Dieng back 3/10 after 9, 12 min since (119% of 10)
OKC availability going into 3/16 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 2 since 3/12, out tonight
BACK Jay. Williams back 3/08 after 3, 12 min since (90% of 13)
NEW Hayward 15 to 21 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 3/20 · 3 days' restOUT Dieng missed 3 since 3/12, returns tonight: 4 min (41% of 10)
BACK Jay. Williams back 3/08 after 3, 11 min since (85% of 13)
NEW Hayward 15 to 20 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 3/22 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 3/10 after 9, 8 min since (80% of 10)
OKC availability going into 3/24 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 3/20 after 3, 4 min since (41% of 10)
NEW Hayward 15 to 21 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 3/26 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 2 since 3/22, out tonight
OKC availability going into 3/27 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 3 since 3/22, out tonight
OKC availability going into 3/29 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 4 since 3/22, out tonight
NEW K. Williams 14 to 20 min over the last 4
OKC availability going into 3/31 · 1 day's restOUT Gilgeous-Alexande missed 2 since 3/27, returns tonight: 35 min (101% of 35)
OUT Dieng missed 5 since 3/22, out tonight
NEW K. Williams 14 to 20 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 42 from three, 20 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 28 and Lillard at 24 a game. 2 days' rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 112, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 27 and Jal. Williams at 22 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Milwaukee at 42 percent from three to OKC's 36 and the glass, where OKC has been plus-4 a night and Milwaukee minus-2. Call it OKC 118, Milwaukee 117, Milwaukee keeping it close.
3/14 vs PHI 114-105 — MIL notes
MIL won 114-105. MIL shot 54% (39 of 72) to PHI's 49%, 16 of 36 from three, and went to the line 24 times to PHI's 14 — 20 points from the stripe to their 10. Antetokounmpo led with 32 (9 of 12, 14 of 18 at the line); Lopez added 19, Lillard 17. The hinge was Q4, 34-22: MIL came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 9. MIL trailed 53-61 at the half and won the second half 61-44. Lillard was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
3/17 vs PHX 140-129 — MIL notes
MIL won 140-129. MIL shot 54% (51 of 94) to PHX's 59%, 24 of 41 from three. Lillard led with 31 (10 of 19, 4 of 8 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Portis added 31, Middleton 22. The hinge was Q2, 43-24: a lead of 3 became 22, and the lead reached 25. Beverley was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
3/20 @ BOS 119-122 — MIL notes
MIL lost 119-122. MIL shot 54% (45 of 84) to BOS's 47%, 17 of 35 from three, and got to the line 14 times to BOS's 29. MIL turned it over 14 times to BOS's 9. Lillard led with 32 (11 of 21, 6 of 10 from three); Portis added 24, Middleton 22. Q4 was theirs, 36-21, the deficit cut from 18 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 101-83 against them. Beverley's -13 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/21 vs BKN 115-108 — MIL notes
MIL won 115-108. MIL shot 47% (43 of 91) to BKN's 45%, 16 of 41 from three. Lillard led with 30 (11 of 22, 5 of 11 from three); Antetokounmpo added 21, Lopez 17. The hinge was Q2, 34-25: a lead of 7 became 16, and the lead reached 20. Connaughton was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
3/24 vs OKC 118-93 — MIL notes
MIL won 118-93. MIL shot 53% (49 of 92) to OKC's 37%, 11 of 34 from three, and got to the line 14 times to OKC's 22. The glass went 57-37 for them. G. Antetokounmpo led with 30 (13 of 18, 4 of 6 at the line); Portis added 15, Lopez 14. The hinge was Q3, 34-17: a lead of 1 became 18, and the lead reached 26. Lillard was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
3/26 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 111, shooting 52 percent and 45 from three, 16 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 28 and Lillard at 24 a game. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 118, shooting 52 percent and 41 from three, 27 free throws a game; James at 26 and Davis at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Vanderbilt (21 straight), Vincent (43 straight), Wood (15 straight). One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the line, where the Lakers take 27 free throws a game to Milwaukee's 16 and the defense, Milwaukee allowing 111 a night to the Lakers' 118. Call it Milwaukee 121, the Lakers 116.
3/28 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 104, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Williamson at 23 and McCollum at 22 a game. Without Ingram (3 straight), Daniels (20 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 15 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 27 and Lillard at 26 a game. One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 104 a night to Milwaukee's 116 and the arc, Milwaukee at 41 percent from three to New Orleans's 36. Call it New Orleans 116, Milwaukee 113, Milwaukee keeping it close.
3/30 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 113, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 18 free throws a game; Murray at 30 and Hunter at 18 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Young (17 straight), Johnson (5 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 16 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 29 and Lillard at 24 a game. One day's rest.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the arc, Atlanta at 41 percent from three to Milwaukee's 36 and the glass, where Atlanta has been plus-5 a night and Milwaukee plus-1. Call it Atlanta 119, Milwaukee 116, Milwaukee keeping it close.
4/02 @ WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 17 free throws a game; Poole at 22 and Avdija at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Jones (9 straight), Holmes (2 straight), Champagnie (3 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 30 and Lillard at 22 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Milwaukee 116, Washington 113, Washington keeping it close.
3/14 vs DAL 126-119 — OKC notes
OKC won 126-119. OKC shot 52% (45 of 86) to DAL's 51%, 16 of 39 from three. OKC turned it over 13 times to DAL's 19. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 (9 of 16, 1 of 4 from three, 12 of 15 at the line); Jal. Williams added 27, Giddey 18. The hinge was Q1, 33-27: from level to 6 ahead. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
3/16 @ MEM 118-112 — OKC notes
OKC won 118-112. OKC shot 52% (45 of 87) to MEM's 46%, 12 of 35 from three. Jal. Williams led with 23 (9 of 17, 1 of 3 from three); Holmgren added 22, Gilgeous-Alexander 20. The hinge was Q3, 35-24: a lead of 2 became 13. K. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
3/20 vs UTA 119-107 — OKC notes
OKC won 119-107. OKC shot 49% (43 of 88) to UTA's 44%, 10 of 34 from three, and went to the line 29 times to UTA's 18 — 23 points from the stripe to their 17. OKC turned it over 10 times to UTA's 15. Holmgren led with 35 (12 of 18, 1 of 5 from three, 10 of 12 at the line); Gilgeous-Alexander added 31, Jal. Williams 18. The hinge was Q4, 37-27: a lead of 2 became 12, and the lead reached 19. OKC trailed 53-54 at the half and won the second half 66-53. Jal. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
3/22 @ TOR 123-103 — OKC notes
OKC won 123-103. OKC shot 51% (48 of 95) to TOR's 53%, 12 of 32 from three. OKC turned it over 15 times to TOR's 27. The glass went 46-36 for them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 23 (9 of 20, 1 of 5 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Jal. Williams added 20, Holmgren 18. The hinge was Q2, 35-21: OKC came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 7, and the lead reached 22. Holmgren was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
3/24 @ MIL 93-118 — OKC notes
OKC lost 93-118. OKC shot 37% (33 of 89) to MIL's 53%, 10 of 43 from three, and went to the line 22 times to MIL's 14 — 17 points from the stripe to their 9. The glass went 37-57 against them. Giddey led with 19 (7 of 12, 4 of 6 from three); Jal. Williams added 18, Gilgeous-Alexander 12. Q2 was theirs, 25-23, the deficit cut from 3 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 95-68 against them. Dort's -18 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/26 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 102, shooting 52 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; McCollum at 23 and Williamson at 23 a game. Without Ingram (2 straight), Daniels (19 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 23 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 23 and Jal. Williams at 21 a game. One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 102 a night to OKC's 112 and the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-4 a night and OKC minus-2. Call it New Orleans 114, OKC 111, OKC keeping it close.
3/27 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 22 and Jal. Williams at 21 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 32 and VanVleet at 16 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Whitmore (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, Houston at 39 percent from three to OKC's 33. Call it OKC 116, Houston 115, Houston keeping it close.
3/29 vs PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 114, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 22 and Jal. Williams at 21 a game. One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 105, shooting 53 percent and 47 from three, 14 free throws a game; Booker at 27 and Durant at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Okogie (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 47 percent from three to OKC's 34 and the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-8 a night and OKC minus-1. Call it OKC 115, Phoenix 114, Phoenix keeping it close.
3/31 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 16 free throws a game; Brunson at 32 and DiVincenzo at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Anunoby (6 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 114, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Giddey at 22 and Jal. Williams at 21 a game. Without Gilgeous-Alexander (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-6 a night and OKC minus-1 and the defense, New York allowing 107 a night to OKC's 114. Call it New York 116, OKC 112, OKC keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
MILAJ A. Jackson Jr.
BL B. Lopez
BP B. Portis
CL C. Livingston
DG D. Gallinari
DL D. Lillard
GA G. Antetokounmpo
JC J. Crowder
KM K. Middleton
MB M. Beasley
MB M. Beauchamp
PB P. Beverley
PC P. Connaughton
TA T. Antetokounmpo
OKCAW A. Wiggins
BB B. Biyombo
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
GH G. Hayward
IJ I. Joe
JG J. Giddey
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
JW Jay. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
LW L. Waters III
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
MIL/OKC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Antetokounmpo scores 30, Middleton gets triple-double as Bucks roll past Thunder 118-93
MILWAUKEE -- — The Milwaukee Bucks emphatically demonstrated just what they're capable of accomplishing when they have all their top players available.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points and a season-high 19 rebounds, Khris Middleton recorded his second career triple-double and the Bucks trounced the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-93 on Sunday.
“With a full team out there, we realize what we can do as a team,” said Middleton, who had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his first triple-double since Jan. 20, 2018. “We have so many guys, so many weapons that can carry us, or guys that can make a play or just attract a crowd.”
This marked the first time since a Feb. 3 victory at Dallas that the Bucks had Antetokounmpo, Middleton and seven-time All-NBA guard Damian Lillard on the floor for the same game. It was the first time since a Jan. 31 loss at Portland that they had their preferred starting lineup of Antetokounmpo, Lillard, Middleton, Brook Lopez and Malik Beasley .
Middleton had missed 16 straight games with a sprained left ankle and also sat a victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday due to injury management. Lillard also had a sprained left ankle that caused him to sit out two games in early February. Antetokounmpo returned Thursday after missing two games due to an issue with his left hamstring.
“I just feel this appreciation feeling of having everybody healthy and available to play,” Antetokounmpo said. “Because when we're not healthy, I think sometimes we play well, sometimes we don't, sometimes we create this excuse in our mind that like, ‘OK, when he gets back, we're going to be better.' But now we're all here. There's no more excuses.”
Milwaukee broke open a close game in the second half as Oklahoma City (49-21) fell out of the Western Conference lead. The reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets (50-21) didn’t play Sunday and moved a half-game ahead of the Thunder.
Oklahoma City posted its lowest point total and shot its lowest percentage (.371) of the season. Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 points — the first time since Jan. 16 he was held below 20 — and sat out the entire fourth quarter after the Bucks had built a lopsided lead.
“They had him in a crowd for much of the night and made it very difficult for him to get his cracks,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought as a team, just our overall pace and sharpness on offense wasn't where it needed to be.”
Milwaukee had seven players score in double figures. Bobby Portis had 15, Lopez 14, Lillard and Pat Connaughton 11 apiece and Jae Crowder 10.
“Just having everybody together just makes the game easier for everybody,” Antetokounmpo said. “We don’t have to force anything. We just keep on playing good basketball, keep on moving the ball. There’s going to be some nights that it’s going to be my night. There’s going to be some nights that it’s going to be Khris’ night. There’s going to be some nights that it’s going to be Dame’s night. But we don’t have to force anything. Everybody out there is a threat. I think our bench is unbelievable, and they keep on getting better.”
Josh Giddey scored 19 and Jalen Williams added 18 for the Thunder.
The Bucks led 48-47 at halftime and broke open the game by outscoring Oklahoma City 18-2 in the first six-plus minutes of the third quarter. Oklahoma City didn’t make its first basket of the third period until Williams converted a layup with 5:38 left that ended a 16-0 Milwaukee spurt.
Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort appeared to take a hit to the head under the basket as Williams scored, causing the swingman to leave the game. Although Dort didn't return, Daigneault said after the game that “I think he's fine.”