On February 12, 2026, the Milwaukee Bucks secured a dominant 110-93 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center. This matchup, the final game for both teams before the All-Star break, was characterized by the absence of several marquee superstars due to injury. The Bucks played without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was sidelined for his ninth straight game with a calf strain, while the Thunder were missing reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) and Jalen Williams (hamstring strain).The game’s standout performer was Ousmane Dieng, a French forward whom the Thunder had traded to the Bucks just before the trade deadline. Dieng stepped into the starting lineup and delivered a "revenge game" performance, recording his first double-double of the 2025-26 season with 19 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 blocks. Other key contributors for Milwaukee included AJ Green, who scored 27 points, and Bobby Portis, who added 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench.Despite the loss, the night provided an inspiring and emotional milestone for the Thunder with the NBA debut of Nikola Topic. The 20-year-old Serbian guard, who was the 12th pick in the 2024 draft, had missed the entire 2024-25 season with a torn ACL and much of the current season while battling testicular cancer. When Topic checked into the game during the first quarter, the entire arena gave him a standing ovation. He played just over 12 minutes and scored his first two NBA points on one basket.For the Thunder, Isaiah Joe led the scoring with 17 points, while Chet Holmgren added 16 points and 13 rebounds. Despite dropping this final game before the break, Oklahoma City maintains a Western Conference-leading record of 42-14, holding full control of its destiny for the remainder of the season. The Bucks, meanwhile, entered the break with a 23-30 record following this morale-boosting road win.AI tools were used in the translation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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