NBA: Thunder, Bucks enter matchup without superstars

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks will meet Thursday in Oklahoma City for their final game before the All-Star break, but neither team will have its star player available.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss his fifth straight game with an abdominal strain, while Giannis Antetokounmpo will sit out his ninth consecutive game due to a calf strain.

The Thunder struggled in the first two games without Gilgeous-Alexander but have bounced back with back-to-back wins, including a 136-109 road victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Bucks have won four of their last five games since losing Antetokounmpo, most recently defeating the host Orlando Magic 116-108.

Thursday’s matchup is the second and final meeting between the teams this season. The Thunder won the first game 122-102 on Jan. 21 in Milwaukee. In that contest, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points on 16-of-19 shooting, while Antetokounmpo had 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 14 rebounds.

Ousmane Dieng, who played less than two minutes and went scoreless in the first matchup, has since been traded from Oklahoma City to Milwaukee. In his second game with the Bucks on Wednesday, Dieng scored a season-high 17 points, including a career-high five 3-pointers.

Another recent addition for Milwaukee is Cam Thomas, who signed with the Bucks on Sunday after being waived by the Brooklyn Nets. Thomas came off the bench Wednesday to score 34 points, prompting Bucks coach Doc Rivers to compare him to other streaky shooters he has coached.

“I've had Jamal Crawford, Lou Williams, and now I have Cam Thomas,” Rivers said. “Very similar. They're all different in their own ways, but Cam wants to do right. He wants to play well. You can see that, and we're going to give him every opportunity. The guy is a natural scorer.”

Oklahoma City is also adjusting to a new rotation after acquiring Jared McCain from the 76ers. McCain scored 12 points in the Thunder’s win over Phoenix and is shooting 50% in three games with his new team.

“What he's doing is very difficult,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “It's an unexpected situation for him. He's joining a team that has had success together, and he looks like he has been there.”

The Thunder could be without Jalen Williams for Thursday’s game. Williams returned Monday after missing several games due to offseason wrist surgery and a right hamstring strain. He scored 28 points in Phoenix Wednesday but left the game late in the third quarter after re-injuring his hamstring.

Chet Holmgren also did not finish the Phoenix game, leaving in the third quarter after taking a shoulder blow. Holmgren previously sat out the second night of a back-to-back on Feb. 4 in San Antonio.

—Field Level Media/Reuters