Preseason Game 2 Recap: Bucks 128 Thunder 126
The Milwaukee Bucks notch their first win of the NBA preseason in a tight battle against the Oklahoma City Thunder
by Aiden Fermaner
08/10/26
The Milwaukee Bucks take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in their second preseason game of the season. The Bucks came out triumphant over the Thunder in a close battle that went down to the final possessions of the fourth quarter. It was a well-rounded game that was a great opportunity for Bucks fans to get a peek at all of our new faces around the team and to see what they have to offer.
Jaime Jaquez was blistering to start this first quarter with 10 points in the period, going 2/3 from the three-point line. I, for one, did not know about Jaime Jaquez’s shooting ability. He has looked like an absolute threat from beyond the arc, and he looks to have an immense amount of confidence in his shot. For a player who attempted just over two threes a game at around a 30% make rate, I was not expecting him to (potentially) more than double his attempts and look so confident while doing it. Myles Turner got off to a great start with 8 first-quarter points, and looked like he could be a great piece to run with this Bucks squad. Who knows, maybe trading Turner isn’t the be-all and end-all. We go down 35-44 at the end of the first.
Tyler Herro kept the Bucks afloat in the second quarter with 11 of our 29 points. He (similarly to Myles Turner) looked like he could be a great fit with the younger core of this Bucks team. He was a gravitational piece on offence that demanded respect; he also hit shots when the Bucks needed him to. Defence… the Bucks gave up 82 first-half points to the Thunder. Fast breaks look like they will be an issue for the Bucks as we adapt to the new offensive rebounding-oriented game plan. That being said, the offensive rebounding looks great, and it's translating to the stat sheet, as we dominated the offensive glass 20-8 in the game. Pick-and-roll defence looks like it will also be an issue at some points. Our attached defenders are struggling to get over screens, and to add to the problem, our big men are struggling to either pick a high-percentage spot to guard or hustle harder to recover from overhedging on the shooter. These points can simply be a bit of correlation and causation; one thing is happening because we are leaning heavily into another, and we can’t be mad at these things until we see how they unfold across a longer sample size. Are we willing to give up a lob threat to teams if it means lowering the high percentage shots their ball handlers get to see? We are down 64-82 going into the half.
Nate Ament went down with what has been reported as an ankle sprain late in the second quarter.
The Twin Towers, Myles Turner and Kel’el Ware, took over the third quarter, combining for 18 points and spurring a run that saw the Bucks cut the Thunder’s lead to only 5 points going into the fourth. Kel’el Ware also had 5 rebounds in the quarter, along with his 7 points, and the Bucks go into the fourth down 97-102.
Jericho Sims kicks off the fourth quarter with a video game-esque posterizing dunk that will make the rounds on the internet. Now welcome Brayden Burries. Burries took over this fourth quarter, scoring 12 points on his own, and he refused to be denied in the paint or in transition. He also added a monstrous one-handed jam to his highlight reel and was really one of the catalysts for the Bucks to get this win. The Bucks overall played a great quarter and executed getting through a late-game foul situation really well to secure the two-point win over the Thunder, 128-126.
Kyle Kuzma, Caris LeVert, and Gary Trent Jr. received DNP by Coach’s decision today. This gave us plenty of chances to see Kasparas Jakucionis and Ousmane Dieng for the first time this preseason. We also got to see Bogoljub Markovic, Kam Jones, and Cormac Ryan for the first time, but I wouldn’t be expecting to see these guys playing too heavily in the Bucks rotation throughout this year.
MVP
Kel’el Ware was the clear option in this game. While a lot of our team played really well, he was a really key piece on both the offensive and defensive end. He finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds with good efficiency, even without making one of his four three-point attempts.
Next up, the Bucks take on the Hornets on Sunday at 6:00 PM CT in Charlotte.
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