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The OKC Thunder will continue their stay at home as they prepare to host the Milwaukee Bucks at the Paycom Center on March 8th.
Coming off a 132-122 win against the Phoenix Suns, the Milwaukee Bucks have started rounding out into form as the playoffs approach. With a 40-25 record, the Bucks found themselves on a four-game winning streak following their win on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the OKC Thunder are coming off a 103-116 loss against the Utah Jazz at home. With their second consecutive loss, the Thunder found themselves falling to 20-44 on the season.
Tuesday's showcase will also be the final meeting between the two sides this season. With Milwaukee emerging as winners in the previous game, the Thunder will look to level the series at home.
Match Details
Fixture - Milwaukee Bucks vs OKC Thunder | 2021-22 NBA Season
Date & Time - Tuesday, March 8th, 2022; 8:00 PM ET (Wednesday, March 9th, 2022; 6:30 AM IST)
Venue - Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Milwaukee Bucks Preview
The Milwaukee Bucks' win against the Phoenix Suns was more of a statement win than anything else. After losing their first matchup against the Suns this season, the Bucks managed to level the series.
The game saw a close battle throughout. Phoenix put up an impressive battle as they played without Chris Paul and Devin Booker. The Bucks took advantage of the situation and dominated down the stretch as they notched a massive fourth-quarter to blow the game open.
While Giannis Antetokounmpo put in a solid performance, the key contributor for Milwaukee in this game was Khris Middleton. Featuring an impressive 44-point outing, the Bucks enjoyed Middleton's performance and the win. It also added to their existing three-game winning streak.
Slowly hitting their stride as the playoffs get closer, the the third-seeded Bucks find themselves only half a game behind the Philadelphia 76ers.
Key Player - Jrue Holiday
Jrue Holiday will be a key player for the Milwaukee Bucks in their upcoming road fixture. Holiday has been an integral part of the Bucks' rotation since their championship run. Coming off a performance of 24-points and nine assists in the win against Phoenix, the Bucks guard will be key in the upcoming game as well.
While Holiday is an extremely potent offensive player, he will have a bigger role on the defensive end against the Thunder. Matched up against Gilgeous-Alexander, the 31-year old will draw on the task of locking down the Thunder star.
As the anchor on perimeter defense, Holiday will have to be a solid communicator to make up for Grayson Allen's absence.
Milwaukee Bucks Predicted Lineup
G - Jrue Holiday | G - Jordan Nwora | F - Khris Middleton | F - Giannis Antetokounmpo | C - Bobby Portis
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OKC Thunder Preview
The OKC Thunder continue to feature in the lowest rung of the Western Conference. With one of the worst records in the league, the Thunder were completely outmatched in their game against Utah.
The loss to the Utah Jazz was a rather one-sided affair. With Utah leading for the majority of the game, the Thunder had little to offer against Utah's lights-out shooting from beyond the arc.
Although Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an impressive night and Aleksej Pokusevski's double-double was quite the highlight, the Thunder were quite shorthanded as they saw Luguentz Dort and Josh Giddey out with injuries.
Likely to be out for the upcoming game as well, OKC are in a vulnerable position as they host the Bucks on Tuesday.
Key Player - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be a key player for the OKC Thunder in their upcoming home fixture.
Gilgeous-Alexander has had an incredible season with the Thunder. Emerging as a potential star in the future, Shai is recording an average of 24.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists this season.
Coming off a 33 point outing in the game against the Jazz, Shai has notched a significant uptick in scoring in his last 10 games. With an average of 33.3 points per game in that span of time, the 23-year old has been an absolute offensive force for the Thunder.
Although the absence of Josh Giddey does affect his numbers slightly, OKC will hope that their budding star remains in form for their matchup against the reigning champions.
OKC Thunder Predicted Lineup
G - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | G - Tre Mann | F - Aaron Wiggins | F - Darius Bazley | C - Andrej Pokusevski
Bucks vs Thunder Match Predictions
The Milwaukee Bucks should emerge as the winners in Tuesday's matchup against the OKC Thunder.
Although Oklahoma enjoys homecourt advantage, their two-game losing streak at home puts them in a relatively weaker position against a team such as Milwaukee, who have a lot of momentum on their side.
While also factoring the absence of key players from their rotation, the young Thunder squad may be out of their depth against the reigning champions.
The game could be competitive if Shai Glgeous-Alexander gets going. However, Milwaukee's defense poses a tough challenge for the young Thunder star.
Where to watch Bucks vs Thunder game?
The Milwaukee Bucks vs OKC Thunder game will be locally broadcast on Bally Sports OK. The game will also be available on the NBA’s League Pass platform. Fans can listen to the game by tuning into WWLS/WKY as well.
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