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Player grades: Dress rehearsal goes well in Thunder's 116-112 preseason win over Bucks

October 15, 2025
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Oct 14, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) goes up for a shot against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the second half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

A stellar NBC broadcast deserved a stellar preseason game. That’s what Peacock saw in this matchup. The first half was highlighted with a back-and-forth duel between probable MVP candidates. The second half featured some fun and close basketball that came down to the final moments. Can’t ask for much more.

The Oklahoma City Thunder escaped with a 116-112 preseason win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Treating this as a dress rehearsal, you have to be happy with everything that came out of this exhibition if you’re the NBA champion.

Usually, the preseason is filled with slow-paced games as guys knock off the rust from summer vacation. Not here. The Thunder and Bucks went back and forth with amazing shot-making. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo took turns showing off their greatness.

The Thunder were in a 37-33 deficit after the first quarter. The offense continued to produce points. A 40-point second frame made everything look easy for OKC. Cason Wallace looked more comfortable as a playmaker. Meanwhile, Isaiah Hartenstein finally hit his first outside bucket since he arrived.

The Thunder had a 73-65 halftime lead. Gilgeous-Alexander did enough with 23 points. He sat out the second half. So did Lu Dort and Alex Caruso. The bench had their turn to get some run in as the Bucks kept their starters in for another quarter.

It went about as you can imagine. Antetokounmpo made light work of the Thunder’s backup players. The Bucks slowly erased their deficit. Meanwhile, OKC suddenly struggled to score. It only had 14 points in the third frame as Milwaukee had a 90-87 lead after three quarters.

Results don’t matter, but things were looking dicey for the Thunder. Ryan Rollins continued the Bucks’ momentum with a growing lead. OKC’s bench looked out of synch. After some early struggles, it finally got everybody on the same page.

In a close contest, Ousmane Dieng made some big-time plays. A catch-and-shoot outside shot and a timely block on Mark Sears’ drive secured the Thunder a close win. They scored 29 points in the fourth quarter to ensure the win, where the MVP winner and two-way players stood out.

The Thunder shot 48% from the field and went 16-of-43 (37.2%) from 3. They shot 20-of-26 on free throws. They had 29 assists on 40 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with an efficient 23 points. Hartenstein had 13 points and eight rebounds. Branden Carlson tallied a 17-point double-double. Brooks Barnhizer had 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Bucks shot 48% from the field and went 18-of-45 (40%) from 3. They shot 16-of-23 on free throws. They had 24 assists on 39 baskets. Five Bucks players scored double-digit points.

Antetokounmpo had 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Cole Anthony scored 21 points off the bench. Kevin Porter Jr. finished with 15 points and four assists. Rollins had 13 points and four assists. Gary Trent Jr. scored 11 points.

This was just the second time in their six-game preseason schedule that the Thunder went the dress rehearsal route. Both times, you have to be excited about what Gilgeous-Alexander showed. These were quick reminders as to why he’s one of the best players in the league.

The rest of the Thunder roster also had its shining moments. There’s always a caveat with preseason, but the Bucks went all out for this game, too. To survive their hot start and keep up shows that OKC can win in multiple ways with different groups, as Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren remain out. It was a productive road trip.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus

Oct 14, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard/forward Kevin Porter Jr. (7) drives the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

One half was enough. Gilgeous-Alexander made it worth the fuss for folks who tuned in and navigated Peacock for the first time. The reigning MVP didn’t need long to get into a rhythm as he used the first half as a warmup for Opening Night.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting, six assists and two rebounds. He shot 1-fo-3 from 3 and went 6-of-8 on free throws. He also had three steals and one block. Oh, and he did all this in just 19 minutes before he sat out the second half.

The most efficient scorer in the NBA didn’t need many possessions to leave his mark. Gilgeous-Alexander barely broke a sweat as several Bucks defenders tried their best to stay in front of him to no avail. This was your textbook surgical performance, where it looked like he was seeing things in slow motion compared to the rest.

The defense deserves its own paragraph, too. Gilgeous-Alexander added to OKC’s brand of causing turnovers. A handful of steals showed he’s the rare NBA superstar who can play on both ends of the floor. At least to the point that he isn’t bleeding buckets.

Preseason is all about experimentation. You saw some of that from Gilgeous-Alexander. If you were to criticize his scoring profile, it would be his outside shot. Specifically on catch-and-shoot looks. The first play resulted in that type of look for him. If he could add it to his repertoire, watch out.

Cason Wallace: A-plus

Going deep inside the paint, Wallace found Hartenstein for the cutting dunk. On the next possession, he found Caruso on the cutting layup. With several players out, this was a prime opportunity to see what the 21-year-old looks like as a primary ball-handler. Off of those two plays alone, his instincts continue to grow.

Wallace finished with nine points on 3-of-9 shooting, eight assists and two rebounds. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had five steals.

This was the most comfortable Wallace has looked as a primary ball-handler, hinting that he could make a facilitator leap this upcoming season. The reads he made were far more advanced and natural than what he’s done in his first two seasons. He ran the offense and called for pick-and-roll actions. He sprayed the ball out to the perimeter and found open teammates off cuts.

And then the defense was as special as usual. The Bucks lack a true point guard. Wallace exposed that. Anytime somebody other than Antetokounmpo tried to bring up the ball, he pressed on them. That resulted in an eye-popping five steals. Just from sheer force.

This was an awesome preseason game for Wallace. Arguably his best. He’s looked better with each one that’s passed. Out of OKC’s entire roster, perhaps he has the biggest jump left to make on both sides of the floor. He’s knocking on the door to be more than just a role player.

Isaiah Hartenstein: B

Oct 14, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) controls the ball against Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) during the second half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Over a year since he first teased it, Hartenstein finally delivered. A corner 3-pointer signified his outside shot wasn’t going to be shelved for the rest of eternity. The entire Thunder bench celebrated like it was a game-winner. NBA Twitter almost crashed when it happened live.

Hartenstein finished with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting, eight rebounds and one assist. He shot 1-of-2 from 3. He also had two blocks.

With Holmgren out, Hartenstein was once again the lone center. He adds a wrinkle to OKC’s offense as an alley-oop threat. Running a pick-and-roll with him usually results in easy buckets. It’s always interesting to see him square off against the Bucks. They have one of the larger frontcourts in the NBA.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s not bury the lede any longer. Hartenstein finally made an outside bucket. He’s hunted for it in his two preseason games. Now he can finally scratch that off his bucket list. He likely won’t continue to do so in the regular season, but it was fun to see one finally go down.

Branden Carlson: B-plus

Oct 14, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Branden Carlson (15) goes up for a shot against Milwaukee Bucks guard Cole Anthony (50) during the second half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

After missing time with a calf strain, Carlson returned to preseason action. He made up for lost time with a productive outing that helped the Thunder survive the second half with a drastic drop in scoring talent relaxing on the bench.

Carlson finished with 17 points on 4-of-8 shooting and nine rebounds. He shot 3-of-5 from 3. He also shot 6-of-8 on free throws.

This is what you want to see out of Carlson. His outside shot is his bread and butter. It’s what landed him another two-way deal on the Thunder. Given more room to play around, he was also a scoring threat from the inside. Several trips to the free-throw line show that.

The Thunder really love what they’ve seen from Carlson since he arrived last season. He has the perfect mix of size and skill to be a stretch center. The two-way player will likely be buried on the depth chart, but if they ever need to rely on him, they should feel comfortable about the possibility.

Brooks Barnhizer: B

Oct 14, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder Head Coach Mark Daigneault watches his team against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Perhaps there’s no better example of a “Welcome to the NBA” moment than what Barnhizer experienced. In one possession, he was forced to guard Antetokounmpo in the low post. With some help defense, he forced the two-time MVP winner to pass out on the mismatch. This isn’t Northwestern anymore.

Barnhizer finished with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, 12 rebounds and two assists. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and went 1-of-2 on free throws. He also had two steals.

Another double-double for Barnhizer. He entered double-digit points despite a lack of a consistent jumper. That’s impressive in itself and speaks to his constant off-ball movement to find soft spots in Milwaukee’s defense. That type of motor is what will help him become an NBA player.

So far in preseason, you have to like Barnhizer on the boards. He always finds a way to grab a miss. That’s despite a size disadvantage against the average NBA frontcourt player. He has one of the weirder player archetypes, but the effort is there to eventually become something.

Highlights:

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: SGA in form in Thunder 116-112 preseason win over Bucks

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