MILWAUKEE – Down by two on the road with just 14.2 seconds left, Russell Westbrook picked the pocket of Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker. It was crunch time, and the Thunder needed a chance, which Westbrook delivered.
On the ensuing offensive possession, Westbrook skated left past Tony Snell into the lane, but the rangy Milwaukee guard dipped a hand into the Thunder All-Star point guard’s path. Snell managed to barely tip the ball and after an official review the referees determined that the ball grazed off of Westbrook before skipping out of bounds. Bucks’ point guard Malcolm Brogdon knocked down two free throws as the Thunder played the foul game, and the Thunder left Wisconsin with a 98-94 loss to move to 21-14 on the season.
“We got the ball where we wanted to go, but there were just some opportunities that we let slip by there,” Head Coach Billy Donovan said, referencing not just the late turnover but also six missed shots in the final three minutes of play.
Westbrook had a strong first half, scoring 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting to go with two rebounds and four assists. In the third quarter, in which the Thunder got outscored 29-19, Westbrook just wasn’t able to get anything to fall for him and went 0-for-8 from the field. That shooting rut carried over into the fourth quarter, and though Westbrook knocked down three shots, he missed on some jumpers that are within his repertoire.
“He had some good, decent three-point shots and some good pull-up shots,” Donovan said. ”Those are shots that he practices every day, they’re shots that he has worked on and they’re shots that have made him the player that he is.”
The opening minutes of this one couldn’t have been more opposite than the way the game finished. In fact, the Thunder started the game shooting 11-for-11 from the field and built a 15-point advantage. The Bucks had no answer for Steven Adams (20 points on 9-for-11 shooting) and Victor Oladipo (18 points on 7-for-12 shooting), but it was the stingy Thunder defense that helped springboard Donovan’s club to an early edge.
“We executed the scouting report and got a couple 24 second violations,” guard Andre Roberson explained. “We got out and capitalized off of it.”
As the first quarter rolled along and the Bucks and Thunder substituted the dynamics of the game changed and Milwaukee was able to flex some unique aspects of their roster. With Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker playing interchangeable positions along the wing and Greg Monroe holding down the fort in the middle, the Bucks were able to capitalize offensively in transition and in cross-matchups.
Those situations weren’t all bad for the Thunder though. It was a wonderful chance for big men like Adams, Enes Kanter and Domas Sabonis to stay in front of dynamic wing players who had slid over to the power forward spot.
“The strength of our team is our size and our strength and our ability to play in the post,” Donovan said. “It was encouraging to see some of our big guys have to guard some of their guys who have length but are really skilled.”
The Bucks scored 34 points in the paint and 11 second chance points in the first half, but the Thunder’s defense clamped down in the second half for the most part. Milwaukee won the battle of the paint 54-46, second chance points 13-8 and out-rebounded the Thunder by one.
Highlights: Thunder at Bucks - Jan. 2, 2017 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
By the Numbers
7-for-12 – Shooting numbers for Victor Oladipo on the night, including 4-for-7 from three-point range, good for 18 points
20 – Points for Steven Adams on 9-for-11 shooting to go with eight rebounds, two assists, a steal and three blocks
34 – Points in the paint for the Bucks in the first half, including 11 second chance points
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The Last Word
“We fought on defense throughout the whole game, we just had some final possessions on offense that we didn’t make. If we would have made them, it would have changed the game.” – forward Domas Sabonis