THUNDER WIRE Seeing Ryan Rollins across him, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander jabbed his foot right a couple of times on a hesitation move. He viciously spun around the Milwaukee defender. Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo stretching his arm up in the air for the contest, the reigning MVP kissed the ball off the glass for the layup.

The Oklahoma City Thunder made easy work of the Milwaukee Bucks in a 122-102 win. From the jump, it was obvious how this game would play out. The reigning NBA champions had a wire-to-wire victory.

“I thought, obviously, great effort all the way around. These last six games were all against playoff teams we knew would test us and going to give us a nice evaluation of where we are in the season and what we need to improve on,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “It’s given us that feedback. It’s given us the unpredictability of the injuries because we were much healthier going into it. The guys did a great job throughout this stretch and certainly tonight.”

Two minutes in, the Thunder scored the first seven points. Before that, the Bucks called a timeout in a desperate attempt to avoid this onslaught. Those attempts went in vain. Boosted up to the second go-to scorer, Ajay Mitchell quickly got into double-digit points.

The Thunder had a 38-18 lead after the first quarter. Yep, a 20-point lead already. It takes a special level of incompetence for that to happen. Things didn’t get any better. All the second frame did was make sure the score didn’t escalate any further.

The Thunder tallied 31 points in the second quarter. They had a 69-51 lead over the Bucks at halftime. Even with Cole Anthony going on a scoring flurry, it didn’t matter. Antetokounmpo looked mentally checked out.

The second half was much of the same. The Milwaukee crowd recently showed its anger by booing its squad. This time, it showed indifference. The arena was library quiet. You could hear Daigneault calling out actions from the sidelines on the broadcast.

As the Thunder ran away on the scoreboard, the only notable thing that happened in the third quarter was a little scuffle. Punked by Bobby Portis with a hard foul, Cason Wallace shoved back. The former was handed a flagrant while the latter was given a technical foul.

Sitting at a 30-point double- double, Gilgeous-Alexander snowballed OKC’s lead. They scored 30 points in the third quarter. That helped them build up a 99-77 lead. The fourth quarter turned inconsequential. If there were a bench to clear, the Thunder would’ve done so.

Instead, Gilgeous-Alexander returned to cross 40 points. The surprising move was made out of necessity. By the final buzzer, the Thunder only had six standard roster players suited up. This four-game road trip has been a costly one. They left OKC with a relatively healthy roster and returned with half of their guys out.

The Thunder scored 23 points in the final frame. They led by as many as 25 points. Just a one-sided affair that showed why one team is viewed as the championship favorite and the other is arguably in the biggest dumpster fire situation, where Antetokounmpo’s

divorce feels inevitable.

The Thunder shot 54% from the field and went 14-of-36 (38.9%) from 3. They shot 10-of-15 on free throws. They had 24 assists on 49 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points. Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 40 points and 11 assists. Mitchell finished with 18 points and three rebounds. Kenrich Williams had 18 points and nine rebounds. Chet Holmgren had 10 points and seven rebounds. Lu Dort tallied 13 points and four rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Bucks shot 49% from the field and went 16-of-41 (39%) from 3. They shot 6-of-9 on free throws. They had 30 assists on 40 baskets. Six Bucks players scored double-digit points.

Antetokounmpo was quiet with 19 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Anthony had 17 points and three assists. Portis tallied 15 points, nine assists and six rebounds. AJ Green scored 15 points. Rollins had 10 points and seven assists. Pete Nance totaled 11 points.

Business as usual for the Thunder — even with a hospital rotation. As long as Gilgeous-Alexander suits up, they’ll be the favorite more times than not. You saw two NBA franchises head in different directions with their all-time talent. OKC is in the middle of its peak. While Milwaukee is sadly winding down its competitive window.

When you combine a turnover-creating machine with hot outside shooting, this is the result. The Thunder have really found their stride on both sides of the ball during this lengthy road trip. They’re back to playing championship-level basketball. It all starts at the top with Gilgeous-Alexander.

“He had 40 on 16-of-19. He had 11 assists. He had two turnovers. What he’s doing is not normal,” Daigneault said about Gilgeous-Alexander. “I think he makes it look normal. He’s not breaking a sweat on a lot of nights. But what he’s doing is not normal. I think it’s important to remember that. The level of efficiency on the degree of difficulty. He’s seeing every coverage every night. He’s finishing plays over Giannis, one of the best weak-side shot-blockers over the last decade.”

Next up for the Thunder is a home game Sunday against the Toronto Raptors.

The game is set to start at 6 p.m. and can be viewed on NBA League Pass and FanDuel Sports Network.

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