In-Season Tournament

Player grades: Giannis too much for Thunder in 97-81 NBA Cup finals loss to Bucks

24.02.2025
6 minutes read

Player grades: Giannis too much for Thunder in 97-81 NBA Cup finals loss to Bucks

Dec 17, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) passes against Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) and guard Alex Caruso (9) during the 1st quarter of the Emirates NBA Cup championship game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

In a game without consequence, OKC relearned the same painful lesson it was introduced to at the pinnacle of the sport in last year's playoffs — its offense struggled to score against a battle-tested squad with serious size.

The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered a 97-81 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2024 NBA Cup finals. The 83rd game doesn't count towards the standings but the former missed out on a $515K grand prize for each player.

It looked good early on for the Thunder. Isaiah Hartenstein dominated with six quick points. They held a 28-27 lead after the first quarter. Everything ran smoothly on offense. Two hours later, that turned out to be OKC's best stretch.

The Thunder scored 22 points in the second frame and were in a 51-50 halftime hole. They shot a miserable 1-of-17 from 3. But considering they were only down a point, that surely will get better in the second half, right? Nope.

The Thunder offense only got worse from that point on. They scored 14 points in the third quarter and faced a 77-64 deficit. The fourth quarter was much the same. OKC only tallied 17 points. 31 second-half points is about as bad as it gets.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his worst game of the year. Jalen Williams couldn't get anything going. Hartenstein's scoring magic ran out. Points were difficult to produce, to say the least. The Thunder scored 28 points in the first quarter and 31 points in the second half.

Related Articles

The Thunder shot 34% from the field and went 5-of-32 (15.6%) from 3. They went 18-of-22 from the free-throw line. They had 13 assists on 29 baskets. Three Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander had 21 points on 24 shots. Williams had 18 points on 20 shots. Hartenstein finished with a 16-point double-double. Everybody else couldn’t muster enough baskets. Since Chet Holmgren went out, this was the loudest game where his absence was felt. He could've helped on both sides of the floor.

Meanwhile, the Bucks shot 42% from the field and went 17-of-40 (42.5%) from 3. They went 12-of-18 from the free-throw line. They had 25 assists on 34 baskets. Four Bucks players scored double-digit points.

Giannis Antetokounmpo won this round of MVP candidates. He finished with 26 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists and three blocks. He took over in the second half and avalanched Milwaukee's run. OKC had no answer against the two-time MVP.

Damian Lillard also helped with 23 points on 6-of-12 shooting. He single-handily matched OKC's total from deep with a 5-of-10 night. Brook Lopez also had 13 points and nine rebounds.

While the result didn't matter, it's concerning the same offensive struggles resurface on the national stage. The Thunder's offense has been inconsistent this year and a bad night from the outside showed the ugly side of that.

When Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams struggle to score, nobody else on OKC sans Holmgren can hunt their own basket. The Bucks have always given OKC fits in recent years and this is the latest example. If both teams match up in the NBA Finals, the Thunder must change their approach to avoid this outcome in high-stake games.

Let's look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: D

Dec 17, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) fight for a loose ball during the 3rd quarter of the Emirates NBA Cup championship game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

This is about as bad as it gets for Gilgeous-Alexander. The MVP candidate prides himself on his consistency. This rare laid egg came at the worst time in the NBA Cup finals.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 21 points on 8-of-24 shooting, four rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-9 from 3 and went 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.

Like the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander had a hot start. He totaled 10 points in the first quarter. After struggling against the Bucks last season, he might've finally figured out their defense. Alas, those hopes only lasted a quarter. He was limited to 11 points the rest of the way.

Despite their inconsistency, the Bucks have the perfect personnel to limit Gilgeous-Alexander. They take away lanes to the basket and force him to beat them with contested jumpers. That explains the poor shooting from the usual superb-efficient scorer.

Even though this game didn't count toward the standings, it counts as a missed opportunity. A lot of recent talk has been made about the Thunder's lack of national exposure. A Gilgeous-Alexander monster performance to win the NBA Cup could've catapulted him to the top of the MVP conversations.

Instead, it's a forgettable outing as OKC returns to their standard regular-season schedule.

Jalen Williams: D

Dec 17, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) chase a loose ball during the 3rd quarter of the Emirates NBA Cup championship game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Given a golden chance to show out on the national stage in a weightless environment, Williams could've shed some of the big-game concerns attached to him since last year's playoffs. Instead, he added fuel to the fire with a forgettable outing.

Williams finished with 18 points on 8-of-20 shooting, four rebounds and three assists. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and went 1-of-2 from the free-throw line.

While the box score stats aren't atrocious at first glance, they get magnified with OKC's offensive struggles. It needed him to take over with Gilgeous-Alexander's struggles. Instead, the Thunder's two best players had their worst combined game of the year.

The Thunder can't survive when their two best players fade into the background. That clearly showed in the NBA Cup finals. OKC had one of the lowest point totals in the NBA this season. The good news is they can easily forget about it since this 83rd game doesn't count toward anything.

Isaiah Hartenstein: B

Dec 17, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Andre Jackson Jr. (44) and Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) argue during the 2nd quarter of the Emirates NBA Cup championship game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Despite falling short of a championship, this NBA Cup run showed how much of a gift Hartenstein has been for the Thunder. The 26-year-old has seamlessly fit with the starters and has helped survive Holmgren's absence.

Hartenstein finished with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, 12 rebounds and two assists. He shot 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.

The seven-footer had it going early with 10 points in the first quarter. His floater was on point early on. But as the game got muddied, his scoring limitations were exposed. There's a reason his career high is just 21 points. The Bucks limited his looks around the rim and shut down his patent floater.

Still, Hartenstein has stabilized OKC since his return. He might've only had six points the rest of the way, but he's never been a top-scoring option. The high-end starter is a perfect complimentary piece and the Thunder's offensive woes fall on other players.

Alex Caruso: C-minus

Dec 17, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) passes against Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) during the 1st quarter of the Emirates NBA Cup championship game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Not much else is left to grade for the rest of the Thunder. That's what happens when a team only scored 81 points. So let's discuss Caruso's performance.

He finished with two points on 0-of-3 shooting, three rebounds and three steals. He was a minus-10 in 24 minutes off the bench.

It wasn't the best stay in Las Vegas for Caruso with his shooting. He missed all five 3-point attempts in the NBA Cup semifinals and finals. It's been better recently, but the outside shot has been a concern.

The defense alone is worth his spot in the rotation. His relentless activity breaks up possessions. He's a defensive leader for OKC. But the offense must be better. That's been a repeated talking point all year that hasn't changed.

Highlights:

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder suffers 97-81 NBA Cup finals loss to Bucks

Source

24.02.2025
6 minutes read
Leave a Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button