The storm clouds were largely kept quiet Sunday in Wisconsin when the Oklahoma City Thunder came to town. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spoke candidly on his team’s drubbing at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks crushed the upstart Thunder in a 118-93 drubbing at Fiserv Forum.
Only one point separated the two sides at halftime. But Milwaukee turned it up in the second half, outscoring OKC 70-46 in the final two frames to score an emphatic win over a top Western foe.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Speaks Out On Oklahoma City Thunder’s Ugly Loss Against Milwaukee Bucks
Gilgeous-Alexander had one of the worst performances of his All-Star season in Sunday’s loss to the Bucks. The Thunder guard finished with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field. He missed all three of his triple tries and tallied four turnovers. It was a far cry from Gilgeous-Alexander’s usual history-making consistency this season.
SGA’s point total was the second-lowest of the year. It was also just the fourth game of the year wherein he failed to breach the 20-point mark.
Gilgeous-Alexander was asked what he took away from the brutal loss. The Thunder star emphasized how the Bucks loss served as a barometer for the team — and how they still have a lot to learn as a team.
“They were firing on all cylinders. Hats off to them,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “They have a lot of guys who have won big in this league and know what it takes. And we got a chance tonight to see where we stack up against that. Obviously, it didn’t go our way in how we wanted to perform.
“But a lot of lessons learned, and that’s what you want from opportunities like that. You always can learn more from a game like this.”
Is Sunday’s Loss Indicative Of The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Lack Of Experience?
Both Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder coach Mark Daigneault emphasized that one loss doesn’t define a season during the postgame presser. But the young Thunder’s meltdown against an experienced Bucks side highlights the doubt that some have cast against OKC as legitimate contenders this season.
The Thunder have one of the youngest rosters in the league with most members of their rotation completely devoid of postseason experience. Gilgeous-Alexander, for all his MVP buzz this season, has also yet to enter the playoffs as the guy for his team.
Oklahoma City has shattered any and all preseason expectations thus far. They’re lightyears ahead of schedule. The only downside to the success is the heightened scrutiny that comes with it. The questions surrounding the team can only truly be answered come playoff time.