Thunder go cold, will 'learn' from NBA Cup loss

LAS VEGAS -- The only bully point astir the Oklahoma City Thunder's violative capacity successful Tuesday's NBA Cup last is that it doesn't count toward regular-season statistics.

The Thunder had their worst violative outing of the run successful the 97-81 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, hitting what would beryllium play lows successful points, section extremity percent (33.7%) and 3-point percent (15.6%).

"I ne'er look astatine it arsenic like, we conscionable missed shots," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "I could person done a amended occupation shaking america free astatine different times successful that game, but we tin study from it."

Oklahoma City superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an uncharacteristically inefficient 21-point performance. He was 8-of-24 from the floor, including 3-of-12 erstwhile Milwaukee's Andre Jackson Jr. was the superior defender, according to ESPN Research tracking.

"He did a bully occupation tonight, but I don't deliberation he was the logic for my type of night," said Gilgeous-Alexander, who is averaging 30.3 points per crippled connected 51.0% shooting this season. "The measurement I felt tonight, I still sewage to my spots. I conscionable didn't make anything. Things for illustration that happen. Nights for illustration that happen. Yeah, he played hard, was aggressive. Nothing I haven't seen before. I felt for illustration it was maine missing much so."

Gilgeous-Alexander went 2-of-9 from 3-point range. He was the only Oklahoma City subordinate to make aggregate 3s, arsenic the Thunder changeable 5-of-32 from agelong distance.

"It's difficult to triumph that way," said Thunder halfway Isaiah Hartenstein, who scored 14 of his 16 points successful the first half. "You conscionable sometimes person those nights."

According to Second Spectrum tracking, the Thunder had an expected 3-point percent of 34.9% based connected the value of their looks against the Bucks. The 19.3% drop-off to Oklahoma City's existent 3-point percent was the Thunder's astir drastic of the season.

"I deliberation for the astir portion we sewage bully looks," said Thunder guardant Jalen Williams, who vanished pinch 18 points connected 8-of-20 shooting. "When you're playing a bully team, you've sewage to continually make bully looks and besides make shots. I consciousness for illustration that was conscionable 1 of those nights. Defensively, I thought we were beautiful good. Sometimes, it conscionable doesn't spell successful and you person to person capable will to support doing the correct point and moving the shot and fto the chips laic wherever they lay."

Oklahoma City made only 1 of 17 3-point attempts successful the first half, but the Thunder stayed successful the crippled chiefly by attacking the overgarment against the bigger Bucks. The Thunder scored 26 points successful the overgarment and were 13-of-16 from the statement successful the first half.

Those numbers plummeted successful the 2nd half, erstwhile the Bucks held the Thunder to only 31 points arsenic Milwaukee turned a one-point halftime separator into a lopsided final. Oklahoma City scored only 8 points successful the overgarment and attempted only six free throws successful the 2nd half.

"We missed immoderate shots that we usually make," Thunder defender Alex Caruso said. "They do a bully occupation of crashing down successful the overgarment and we sewage immoderate easy ones early and past conscionable missed immoderate unfastened [3s] that could person dispersed them out, bring them retired of the overgarment a small bit. ... At the extremity of the day, you request a mates to spell successful if you're going to triumph astatine a precocious level."