Thunder at Bucks
The fourth quarter has not been kind to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are trying to figure out how to protect a lead as the regular season hits the home stretch. The Thunder will try to avoid a third straight loss when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.
Oklahoma City has dropped six of its last eight games and lost for the 10th time this season when entering the fourth quarter with a lead when they were blitzed in the final 12 minutes by the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. “When you're losing, that's when you really got to show your character and show who you are,” Thunder star Kevin Durant told reporters. “We're going to keep our heads up. All our guys are going to stay positive and keep working and learn from it.” Durant has been unique in the NBA as a 6-11 forward who handles like a guard and can shoot from everywhere on the court, but Bucks budding star Giannis Antetokounmpo is beginning to look a lot like a younger Durant. The 21-year-old just missed his third triple-double in six games when he totaled 27 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds in a 116-101 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, FSN Oklahoma, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE THUNDER (42-20): Oklahoma City has been outscored 74-36 in the fourth quarter of its last two losses - at the Los Angeles Clippers and Warriors – and is in danger of surrendering the No. 3 spot in the West to the Clippers. “I think it's a temporary thing," Durant told reporters. "We definitely want to get it under control. We're not happy with the way we're playing, obviously. We want to win. But this is when you see what you're made of.” The Thunder are 2-6 since the All-Star break and are staring at a stretch of schedule that includes visits from the Clippers and Portland as well as trips to San Antonio and Boston over the next six games.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (26-36): Milwaukee remains a longshot to make the postseason at 10 games under .500 but has looked better since handing over the offense to Antetokounmpo. Head coach Jason Kidd made the decision after the All-Star break to move point guard Michael Carter-Williams to the second unit and give Antetokounmpo the ball-handling responsibilities on the top unit, and the “Greek Freak” has responded by averaging 8.5 assists in the last six games. Guard Khris Middleton seems to be benefiting the most from Antetokounmpo’s passes and he buried 8-of-9 attempts from 3-point range en route to 32 points in Friday’s win.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Carter-Williams (knee) has missed the last three games and is day-to-day.
2. The Thunder reportedly signed veteran C Nazr Mohammed to a contract for the remainder of the season.
3. Oklahoma City outraced Milwaukee 131-123 in the first meeting on Dec. 29.