The OKC Thunder suffered their most irritating lack of the season final evening, falling to the Milwaukee Bucks, 97-81, within the NBA Cup championship sport. Lots of issues have gone incorrect for the Thunder, however the ineffectiveness of star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may be on the high of the record.
For a lot of the sport, Milwaukee had Andre Jackson Jr. caught on Gilgeous-Alexander. He was tasked with selecting up the Thunder star full court docket as quickly as the subsequent offensive possession started. Jackson held Gilgeous-Alexander to simply 21 factors on 8-of-24 taking pictures, the worst statistical taking pictures efficiency of his MVP-caliber season. His complete rating was additionally tied for second worst of the season. Not all of this was because of Jackson, however his early defensive stress definitely set the tone.
To say Jackson did an excellent job on Gilgeous-Alexander is an understatement. The fixed stress he placed on the Thunder star will need to have been irritating to take care of. When Jackson was defending OKC’s main scorer, discovering methods to get him the ball in halfcourt was uncommon. Even when heart Isaiah Hartenstein was setting a number of screens, Jackson was hooked up to Gilgeous-Alexander.
As an entire, the Thunder actually struggled placing the ball within the basket. Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t the one one going through these issues, however extra was anticipated of him. Making simply 33 % of his shot makes an attempt, most of which he would usually name, was by no means going to place the Thunder in an excellent place to win in opposition to a Milwaukee staff that’s at the moment taking part in its greatest basketball.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s incapability to attain may be on the high of the record of issues that went incorrect for Oklahoma Metropolis. That is the primary time, outdoors of OKC’s second lack of the season to the Golden State Warriors, that Gilgeous-Alexander has struggled this a lot. The Thunder want him to not solely rating as a lot as he often does, but in addition to do it effectively in the event that they need to go deeper within the playoffs.
Milwaukee overtook the Thunder, largely partially because of star ahead Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo was a pressure in additional methods than one, main the Bucks in factors, rebounds, assists and blocks. Oklahoma Metropolis could not do a lot to cease Milwaukee’s pressure of nature and that is another excuse why the Thunder in the end fell to the Bucks. The rebounding battle additionally labored in Milwaukee’s favor, with the Bucks going 52 to Oklahoma Metropolis’s 43.
The Thunder will want manufacturing from GIlgeous-Alexander to proceed profitable huge video games. They could be capable to get away with profitable within the common season, however he’ll be counted on much more in playoff video games with extra which means.
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