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The OKC Thunder looked scary in their 124-101 preseason win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night at the Paycom Center. NBA fans were in awe of the Thunder's young core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
Giddey led the way for the Thunder with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Holmgren and Wiliams each scored 18 points. SGA struggled in shooting, going just 4-12 and had only 10 points. It didn't matter, though, as the rest of the Thunder's young core dominated the Bucks.
It should also be noted that both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard played until the third quarter as both teams started to ramp up minutes for their starters.
Antetokounmpo finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and four steals, while Lillard managed five points after a scoreless first half.
NBA fans quickly reacted to the OKC Thunder's dominant performance against the title-favorite Milwaukee Bucks. The Thunder are ahead of schedule and could be ready to make noise this season. Some are even expecting them to make the playoffs after sneaking into the play-in last campaign.
One fan pointed out that SGA didn't even have a good game, but the Thunder still got a statement win:
"Shai not even up there y'all are in trouble lolz."
Another fan is hyped up for the Thunder while mentioning Thunder general manager Sam Presti's ridiculous haul of future draft picks:
"This team is so good already and has 37 draft picks in the next 7 years 😭 Presti masterclass."
One fan pointed out managing expectations of the Thunder fanbase:
"Okc thunder fans started the day saying the media is setting them up for slander if they don't take a giant leap and ended the day asking for the playoffs to start today."
Here're other reactions on X (formerly called Twitter) to the OKC Thunder's win over the Milwaukee Bucks in preseason:
OKC Thunder could surprise a lot of people this season
The OKC Thunder have one of the best young cores in the NBA heading into the 2023-24 season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took a leap from a star to an All-Star, while Josh Giddey improved in his sophomore season.
Jalen Williams was the second-best rookie in the league, with Chet Holmgren looking healthy and effective in the preseason. The Thunder made the play-in tournament last season but came up short to make the playoffs.
The young Thunder team under coach Mike Daigneault could surprise many this season in a stacked Western Conference.
It's also worth mentioning that Sam Presti has a ton of draft picks to acquire the necessary veteran talent to take the team to the next level.
