The last game of this weekend’s NBA slate is a rematch of the in-season tournament’s championship game from a few months prior. The Oklahoma City Thunder, No. 1 in the West and first in net rating, roll into the deer’s home range to face Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks. The Sunday nightcap is a proving ground for Doc Rivers’ side and a national stage for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP candidacy.
How to watch Oklahoma City Thunder at Milwaukee Bucks
Both teams are top 10 in pace and tout strong defenses, though no one is touching OKC on that end. The Thunder lead the league in opponent 2-point and 3-point percentages, while blazing past the field in steals and turnovers generated per game. Their cadre of perimeter defenders are elastic and relentless; the frontcourt duo of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein are gracefully yet thoroughly dominating the paint. At a plus-12.4, this team would finish second all-time in net rating … behind the fabled 72-10 Bulls of 1995-96.
Yes, they’re ahead of everyone else — the Warriors’ dominant first year with Kevin Durant, the other Michael Jordan dynasty squads, the Showtime Lakers and last year’s champion Celtics. We’ll excuse Seattle loyalists and those pulling for a Nikola Jokić MVP, but everyone else should be hard-pressed to take an issue with these Thunder.
The Bucks dropped three straight games against East peers (Cleveland, Indiana and Orlando) but minted an impressive 20-point win over the Lakers in primetime Thursday. They hosted and beat the Pacers on Saturday. Brook Lopez is up to 57/40/89 shooting splits since the All-Star intermission, but Kyle Kuzma has looked unsettled as a midseason acquisition (43/30/67 splits in his first 16 Bucks tries).
Any game is within reach when your team employs Antetokounmpo. When he sat out this last matchup, a Feb. 3 game at OKC, the Bucks lost by 29. When he played in the NBA Cup championship, underdog Milwaukee pulled a 16-point upset. Antetokounmpo was sublime in that final, finishing with a triple-double and some victorious two-stepping:
Starting five of players to wear both jerseys:
- George Hill
- Cameron Payne
- Caron Butler
- Danilo Gallinari
- Serge Ibaka
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(Photo of Giannis Antetokounmpo: POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
