NBA
Thunder, George Handle The Bucks At Home 118-112
The Oklahoma City Thunder knew they would have their hands full against the Milwaukee Bucks. They knew what was at stake and knew this would be a test for them. In the end, they handled business against the team with the best record, 118-112.
A lot of things had to go right for the Thunder in order to take full advantage of this game. Well, one guy did just that for this team.
Paul George is My MVP
Everyone has focused on Giannis Antetokounmpo to be the guy that could have a slight chance to win MVP. Some have already written James Harden as the 2019 MVP. But my MVP? Well, that would be Paul George. This man has been on a tear and it didn’t stop once tonight.
George ended the night with 36 points on 12/21 shooting from the field, leading the Thunder to victory over the Bucks. He also went 8/12 from 3-point range to go along with 13 rebounds and three steals. Oh yeah, he also had a monstrous dunk on Antetokounmpo and a huge three to push the lead to six with 47 seconds to go. This man was unstoppable.
George is the leader of this team that’s more stable and confident than last year. Russell Westbrook has handed the reins over to this man who deserves all the praise in the world.
Everyone Doing Their Part
This team, with the help of George of course, were lights out from three. They hit 50 percent from behind the arc. They were draining shots left and right on the Bucks. Terrance Ferguson finished with 15 points on 6/10 shooting, and he hit three from behind the arc. Steven Adams had 14 points on 7/10 shooting along with eight rebounds. Jerami Grant had 16 points, and he hit two free throws to finish the game. The biggest thing Grant offered was defense, especially on the Greek Freak. He had five blocks — that is right, five!
The bench gave great effort with the minutes they were given. Dennis Schroder had 14 points and made some great passes down the stretch. Nerlens Noel had quality minutes with six points, six rebounds, and two blocks.
Now, just when you think Westbrook maybe found his shot a little bit, he gives you one of these games. He ended the night with just 13 points on 5/20 shooting along with some air-balls. Whether this is a mental or physical problem, I have truly no idea. However, it was bad. Luckily, he provided this team with his passing ability, finishing with 11 assists, and he got his guys open shots. It wasn’t a great game overall. In fact, you could argue it was one of his worst. Despite all of that, he did some good things on the court tonight.
Despite the Thunder Being In Control For Most Of The Game, Bucks Didn’t Give Up
The Bucks started off hot in the first quarter. When Antetokounmpo couldn’t get anything to go, Brook Lopez came in and hit four threes right off the bat. After eight minutes into the fourth quarter, they wouldn’t see another lead. They couldn’t stop a red-hot George tonight, and they struggled to find their shot at times.
However, the Bucks would not die in the fourth quarter as they cut the lead of the Thunder to single-digits. What the Thunder did was make everyone else beat them, not Antetokounmpo. He finished the night with 27 points on 8/22 shooting and 18 rebounds. You can’t stop him. You just need to contain to him to have a chance at winning. The Thunder did just that in front of a loud home crowd.
The bench didn’t offer much help. It was up to the starters to bring home a victory. After those first four threes Lopez made, he didn’t shoot much after that. Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon had solid games for the Bucks. Middleton finished with 22 points, and Brogdon finished with 18.
Proving Themselves Yet Again
Time and time again, the Thunder are proving themselves to be a threat in the playoffs. This is not the same team from last year that would have constant meltdowns in big games. They are not the same team that didn’t have an identity. This is a team that has bought into Donovan’s system and into George being the best player on the team.
They are playing team basketball and it shows in games like this. The Thunder went against arguably the best and most impressive team this year and handled them. They can get over games where Westbrook is shooting terribly because of impressive shooting, lock-down defense, and ultimately letting George show he is the leader of this team. Everyone has bought in. Next up, the Thunder go to Orlando to face the Magic on Tuesday night.
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Photo Credit
James Anderson via Flickr
Writer Brandan Verrastro
