Updated Jan. 22, 2026, 7:45 a.m. CT
Seeing Ryan Rollins across him, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander jabbed his foot right a couple of times on a hesitation move. He viciously spun around the Milwaukee defender. Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo stretching his arm up in the air for the contest, the reigning MVP kissed the ball off the glass for the layup.
The Oklahoma City Thunder made easy work of the Milwaukee Bucks in a 122-102 win. From the jump, it was obvious how this game would play out. The reigning NBA champions had a wire-to-wire victory.
“I thought, obviously, great effort all the way around. These last six games were all against playoff teams we knew would test us and going to give us a nice evaluation of where we are in the season and what we need to improve on,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “It’s given us that feedback. It’s given us the unpredictability of the injuries because we were much healthier going into it. The guys did a great job throughout this stretch and certainly tonight.”
Two minutes in, the Thunder scored the first seven points. Before that, the Bucks called a timeout in a desperate attempt to avoid this onslaught. Those attempts went in vain. Boosted up to the second go-to scorer, Ajay Mitchell quickly got into double-digit points.
The Thunder had a 38-18 lead after the first quarter. Yep, a 20-point lead already. It takes a special level of incompetence for that to happen. Things didn’t get any better. All the second frame did was make sure the score didn’t escalate any further.
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The Thunder tallied 31 points in the second quarter. They had a 69-51 lead over the Bucks at halftime. Even with Cole Anthony going on a scoring flurry, it didn’t matter. Antetokounmpo looked mentally checked out.
The second half was much of the same. The Milwaukee crowd recently showed its anger by booing its squad. This time, it showed indifference. The arena was library quiet. You could hear Daigneault calling out actions from the sidelines on the broadcast.
As the Thunder ran away on the scoreboard, the only notable thing that happened in the third quarter was a little scuffle. Punked by Bobby Portis with a hard foul, Cason Wallace shoved back. The former was handed a flagrant while the latter was given a technical foul.
Sitting at a 30-point double-double, Gilgeous-Alexander snowballed OKC’s lead. They scored 30 points in the third quarter. That helped them build up a 99-77 lead. The fourth quarter turned inconsequential. If there were a bench to clear, the Thunder would’ve done so.
Instead, Gilgeous-Alexander returned to cross 40 points. The surprising move was made out of necessity. By the final buzzer, the Thunder only had six standard roster players suited up. This four-game road trip has been a costly one. They left OKC with a relatively healthy roster and returned with half of their guys out.
The Thunder scored 23 points in the final frame. They led by as many as 25 points. Just a one-sided affair that showed why one team is viewed as the championship favorite and the other is arguably in the biggest dumpster fire situation, where Antetokounmpo’s divorce feels inevitable.
The Thunder shot 54% from the field and went 14-of-36 (38.9%) from 3. They shot 10-of-15 on free throws. They had 24 assists on 49 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 40 points and 11 assists. Mitchell finished with 18 points and three rebounds. Kenrich Williams had 18 points and nine rebounds. Chet Holmgren had 10 points and seven rebounds. Lu Dort tallied 13 points and four rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Bucks shot 49% from the field and went 16-of-41 (39%) from 3. They shot 6-of-9 on free throws. They had 30 assists on 40 baskets. Six Bucks players scored double-digit points.
Antetokounmpo was quiet with 19 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Anthony had 17 points and three assists. Portis tallied 15 points, nine assists and six rebounds. AJ Green scored 15 points. Rollins had 10 points and seven assists. Pete Nance totaled 11 points.
Business as usual for the Thunder — even with a hospital rotation. As long as Gilgeous-Alexander suits up, they’ll be the favorite more times than not. You saw two NBA franchises head in different directions with their all-time talent. OKC is in the middle of its peak. While Milwaukee is sadly winding down its competitive window.
When you combine a turnover-creating machine with hot outside shooting, this is the result. The Thunder have really found their stride on both sides of the ball during this lengthy road trip. They’re back to playing championship-level basketball. It all starts at the top with Gilgeous-Alexander.
“He had 40 on 16-of-19. He had 11 assists. He had two turnovers. What he’s doing is not normal,” Daigneault said about Gilgeous-Alexander. “I think he makes it look normal. He’s not breaking a sweat on a lot of nights. But what he’s doing is not normal. I think it’s important to remember that. The level of efficiency on the degree of difficulty. He’s seeing every coverage every night. He’s finishing plays over Giannis, one of the best weak-side shot-blockers over the last decade.”
Let’s look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus
Bringing the ball up, Gilgeous-Alexander caught a rare one-on-one look. For a second, anyway. Portis saw Kyle Kuzma rotate over to send the double. Getting to the baseline, the reigning MVP created enough space to swish in his signature look despite Green joining in to make it a three-on-one.
Gilgeous-Alexander was on another one with 40 points on 16-of-19 shooting, 11 assists and seven rebounds. He shot 2-of-2 from 3 and went 6-of-7 on free throws. He also had one steal.
It didn’t even feel like Gilgeous-Alexander had to expend all of his energy in this one and he still finished with a 40-and-11 double-double. Unreal. That’s when you know someone’s competition is with all-time greats and not the current field. Against a low self-esteem squad, he toyed with his opponent in what likely felt like playing NBA 2K on rookie mode.
To start, Gilgeous-Alexander took a backseat as Mitchell boosted his confidence as a scorer. If you’re ever going to juggle several goals in a game, this is the environment to do so, as the Bucks played this out of necessity. He morphed into a facilitator role to help his teammates feel themselves on a short-handed night.
Eventually, though, the buckets were too easy to pass up on. Gilgeous-Alexander toyed with Milwaukee’s defense. Against a roster filled with has-beens and unproven players, this was a prime opportunity to knife through their interior to get plenty of easy finishes around the rim. The jumper was seldom used because it wasn’t needed.
Gilgeous-Alexander cruised his way to 25 points in the second half. You also saw him show off his playmaking skills. Several of his teammates had open looks around the rim from the attention he demands. Same with guys in the perimeter on kick-out passes.
Down to a handful of players, Gilgeous-Alexander was asked to play in garbage time. He gladly took full advantage of that. He might not win the scoring title, but this game suggests that’s more about not being asked to play more minutes than a sudden dip in talent. It didn’t take long for him to reach 40 points with some stat-padding fun. It’s a candy that every NBA superstar eventually reaches for.
Talking to ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt for the first time since the 2025 NBA Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander joked that his superb-efficient 40-point double-double could’ve been better. He claimed he missed too many layups. He only had three misses, by the way. The tongue-in-cheek comment reveals the perfectionist mindset that has helped him become an all-time great.
“I just know what I’m capable of and how hard I work. In every situation, there’s a reason why you fail. The only way to get better is to use it to get better. Remember it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It can be a game you failed in your performance. Or in those instances, the specific shots I failed at. There’s a reason why I failed. No matter what the big picture or big night looks like, you could get better. That’s how I see it.”
At this point, Gilgeous-Alexander has normalized these types of outings. He’s a walking 60-win machine. Doesn’t matter who else is on the floor with him. Add this game to his growing resume for why he should win back-to-back MVP awards. And why that should be a unanimous decision.
“The way we see it, we’re going to have to play the game whether we want to or not. We might as well go out there and get better. We might as well go out there and take advantage of the opportunity,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That’s what every night is about. No matter the circumstance. It’s an opportunity to play through the circumstance. To get better. We did so tonight.”
Ajay Mitchell: A
Intercepting Rollins’ pass, Mitchell had a clear map to the basket. He sprinted for the fastbreak bucket that forced the Bucks to call a timeout less than two minutes into the game. The surprising stoppage was fruitless as the 23-year-old scaled up in importance.
Mitchell finished with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting, three rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-2 from 3 and went 0-of-1 on free throws. He also had two steals.
Going super small out of necessity, Mitchell was able to beat up on the Bucks’ backcourt. He’d muscle his way to his spots in the mid-range before finishing through traffic on finishes that flashed his feel. The ball feathered through the rim as he shouldered his way to open looks.
Mitchell had 12 points in the opening frame. That helped the Thunder put this one away from the start. He scored all of his buckets in the first half as they were up by around 20 points. Considering the volume of players out, he stepped up as a secondary scorer. That’s been a storyline this season.
Alas, Mitchell’s night was cut short. In the final moments of the third quarter, he walked off the floor and was eventually ruled out with a hip contusion. Such is the price of playing a brute style of basketball. You gladly pay it, though. It’s helped him become a mainstay in OKC’s rotation.
“One of the things that makes him uniquely a good fit to this team is he can create and carry a bit of a load offensively. He can also adapt and play well off of other players. For a young player that is emerging the way he is, to be able to thread that needle offensively is very, very difficult to do,” Daigneault said about Mitchell. “There’s usually a tendency to be too passive or aggressive in that situation. He’s found a beautiful balance this season.”
Kenrich Williams: A
Shouldering his way through Anthony, Williams drove to the basket. Even with Portis right there, he muscled his way for a circus layup. With a rotation completely depleted to the point that all three two-way players logged serious minutes, the 31-year-old once again stepped up.
Williams finished with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting, eight rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-5 from 3 and went 0-of-1 on free throws.
Usually just a spot-up guy, Williams flexed some of his on-ball creation. He sliced through Milwaukee’s defense to get a handful of driving layups. The jumper also wasn’t half-bad, either. As the shot clock was about to expire, he went with a desperate sidestep 3-pointer that swished in. That’s how much he was feeling himself.
Williams helped the Thunder bury the Bucks on the scoreboard. Even when Gilgeous-Alexander rested, the bench lineup kept the momentum going. On the other end, he added to OKC’s chaotic defensive nature. He played with an edge and helped force several turnovers to put this game away.
It’s always a committee approach by the Thunder. Dealing with the second-most injuries this season, the Thunder have remained at the top of the NBA standings. You can thank their rich depth for that. To have someone like Williams on your third-string team is just ridiculous in a good way.
Lu Dort: A
As soon as the ball went up in the air, Dort located Antetokounmpo. He glued himself to the two-time MVP winner for most of the night as the Thunder were without a handful of their frontcourt players. Even with the size disadvantage, you saw him turn Milwaukee’s best player irrelevant.
Dort finished with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting, four rebounds and three assists. He shot 3-of-7 from 3. He also had two steals.
You’ve heard of get-right games, well this was a get-right road trip for Dort. On both sides of the floor. The outside shooting has finally come around. And funny enough, it’s happened in opposing environments. The Thunder needed him to become more of a scorer as they lost role players with each game. He did that once again here.
Dort took the right shot attempts from the outside. He even showed off some of his self-creation skills with a couple of mid-range jumpers. Considering how the game unfolded, you welcomed the heat checks. The Thunder piled up on the Bucks as this game got out of hand before most folks could even settle in.
The defense, though. That deserves its own shoutout. This was the best the Thunder have done at containing Antetokounmpo. For most of the night, he just floated around — looking nowhere near like someone who was in MVP talks just two months ago. Say what you want about how much that passive flow was self-imposed, but Dort deserves a bouquet for pitching a shutout.
“He’s really honed in on his matchups. He watches film. He studies them. He cares. He takes it personal,” Gilgeous-Alexander said about Dort. “He has a natural gift of physicality and footspeed that’s rare at his size. Guys of his strength don’t usually move laterally that quickly. It allows him to stay in front of more dynamic guards. Whether small or a bigger guy like Giannis. He’s still strong to be able to move his feet and stay in front of them.”
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