Giannis Dominates with 32 as Bucks Blow out Chris Paul, Thunder by 47 Points

The Milwaukee Bucks continued marching towards 70 wins with a 133-86 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night at Fiserv Forum, their largest margin of victory this season. 

It's the 27th win at home this season for Milwaukee (51-8), which entered the night with an eight-game lead in first place in the Eastern Conference. The only team to have already clinched a playoff spot this season rolled past the Thunder (37-23) and ended OKC's five-game winning streak. 

The Thunder hadn't lost since February 11 against San Antonio before falling to Milwaukee on Friday. The Bucks, meanwhile, are now on their own five-game win streak having completed a season sweep of Oklahoma City. 

With home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs still in reach for the Thunder, OKC now drops to two games back of the Houston Rockets for the fourth seed in the Western Conference. 

Bucks guard Khris Middleton sat out Friday's action with a sore neck. It's his first missed game since November. 

Notable Performers 

• Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF, Bucks: 32 points, 13 rebounds, six assists
• Wesley Matthews, SG, Bucks: 14 points, six rebounds, three assists
• Chris Paul, PG, Thunder: 18 points, five assists
• Steven Adams, C, Thunder: eight points, seven rebounds

Giannis Lets Game Speak After Harden Comments

James Harden criticized Bucks star and reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo on Friday, saying it takes no skill to be 7' tall and dunking the ball:

Given the chance to offer a rebuttal, Antetokounmpo let the comments slide:

"I'm not the type of guy to take stabs at somebody," Antetokounmpo told ESPN before defeating the Thunder. "... I'm just trying to do my job which is win games and go back home to my family and my kid. At the end of the day, if that's what he believes, that's what he believes. ... I've just got to keep being focused."

It's easy enough to pass on trash talking when putting on an epic performance is always an option. That's the route Antetokounmpo took Friday. 

The Greek Freak—who is listed at 6'11", for what it's worth—dominated Oklahoma City from start to finish, notching 21 points and 10 rebounds before anyone else on either team had reached double figures. Even more stunning, was the forward's efficiency. Antetokounmpo played just 27 minutes, shooting 13-of-20 from the field with six of his shots coming away from the basket. 

That's not to say there isn't anything he can't improve on. When Chris Paul dared Antetokounmpo to shoot an open three, the results were as expected for someone who only makes 31.4 percent of his takes behind the arc. 

It's hard to find another area where Antetokounmpo wasn't excelling on Friday. Harden may still lead the league in scoring, but the reigning MVP is well on his way to locking up the accolade for a second consecutive season. 

Thunder Road To Home Court Advantage

Oklahoma City has quite a luxury compared to most teams in the Western Conference. It doesn't need to fret the outcome of each individual game or watch the scoreboard to make sure it hasn't lost its grip on a playoff spot. 

Instead, the Thunder are aiming higher and looking to score home-court advantage in the first round. In that sense, Friday night's loss was a bit tough to take. With the Houston Rockets, who hold the fourth seed in the West, off on Friday, there was a chance for OKC to gain a bit of ground. Now the team will have to work a bit harder to do so.

The Thunder are now two full games back of Houston with 22 games remaining. Unfortunately, the stiff competition they faced on Friday will become the norm down the stretch. According to Tankathon, OKC has the 11th-toughest remaining schedule with their opponents averaging a .511 winning percentage. 

While the team will benefit from games remaining against the Knicks (twice), Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons, OKC still has to face the Nuggets twice more as well as matchups with the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and L.A. Clippers. 

The Thunder have proved capable of going on long winning streaks—they dropped just three games in the month of February—and they'll have to keep doing so to make sure they start the playoffs at home, where they currently have a 20-12 record.

What's Next

The Thunder return home for a Tuesday night matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers before heading back out east for a three-game road trip against the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics beginning on Wednesday. The Bucks will play five of their next six games on the road, beginning with a two-game trip to Charlotte and Miami that starts on Sunday against the Hornets.