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The Oklahoma City Thunder will face reigning NBA champions Milwaukee Bucks in an enticing preseason game on Sunday at the Fiserv Forum.
The Thunder are coming off a 97-113 loss against the Charlotte Hornets. Rookie Josh Giddey was their best player of night, scoring 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Oklahoma nailed down 15 three-pointers on the night.
They showed glimpses of how exciting they could be to watch. The Thunder will have to put in a more disciplined performance, though, if they fancy their chances of beating the Bucks.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks have struggled to win games without their star players so far in the preseason.
They lost to the Brooklyn Nets 115-119 in their previous outing. Nevertheless, multiple players put in decent shifts for the Bucks. The holders were without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton for a second-straight game.
Jordan Nwora led the Bucks' charge with 30 points, while Sandro Mamukelashvili and Elijah Bryant registered 20 points apiece. It will be Milwaukee's first home game since the 2021 NBA Finals.
Oklahoma City Thunder Injury Report
The OKC Thunder will be without Derrick Favors, Vit Krejci and Kenrich Williams for their preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Favors is still working his way to regaining matching fitness, while Krejci is out due to personal reasons. Williams, meanwhile, sustained a toe sprain.
Milwaukee Bucks Injury Report
The Milwaukee Bucks have been without several stars in their last two games. They are trying to get everyone close to 100% in terms of their fitness, which could see plenty of players sit out the home fixture against the OKC Thunder.
The Bucks haven't submitted their injury report for this game at the time of writing. But as per their previous report, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Donte DiVincenzo, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Semi Oeleye, Grayson Allen, Rodney Hood and Bobby Portis were all ruled out due to various ailments.
Antetokounmpo is still recovering from the knee injury he suffered in the 2021 playoffs, while DiVincenzo is rehabilitating from an ankle surgery. Middleton had a sore hamstring, while Holiday and Allen are dealing with ankle injuries.
Meanwhile, Hood was out because of a foot injury; Portis is dealing with a hamstring strain, and Ojeleye sustained a calf injury.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Milwaukee Bucks: Predicted Lineups
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are likely to stick to the same starting five they deployed in their previous game. Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are likely to start as guards, while Luguentz Dort, Darius Bazley and Isiah Roby should complete the rest of the lineup.
Meanwhile, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Aleksej Pokusevski and Tre Mann are likely to play the most minutes off the bench.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are likely to rest their star players once again for this preseason game.
If they do end up doing that, they could start George Hill and Tremont Waters in the backcourt. Forwards Jordan Nwora and Thanasis Antetokounmpo are likely to pair up alongside Sandro Mamukelashvili.
Meanwhile, the likes of Elijah Bryant, Javin DeLaurier, Justin Robinson and Georgios Kalaitzakis are likely to play the most minutes off the bench.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Milwaukee Bucks: Predicted Starting 5s
Oklahoma City Thunder
Point Guard - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Shooting Guard - Josh Giddey | Small Forward - Darius Bazley | Power Forward - Luguentz Dort | Center - Isiah Roby.
Milwaukee Bucks
Point Guard - George Hill | Shooting Guard - Tremont Waters | Small Forward - Jordan Nwora | Power Forward - Thanasis Antetokounmpo | Center - Sandro Mamukelashvili.
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