Filling in for Doc Rivers, Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham highlighted the team’s defensive performance in Thursday’s 110-93 win at Oklahoma City. “They’re an aggressive defensive team. So for us, sometimes your best offense is your defense,” Ham said.
Ham credited the coaching staff and team cohesion, noting, “Shoutout to Coach [Greg Buckner], grinding since I’ve been here, and again with the leadership with Doc, and our offense, Dave Joerger, all of us just pitching in. It was a total team effort, but our defense tonight was spectacular.”
He emphasized the quality of the opponent, adding, “Against a team like that — and I know they had people out of the lineup — that’s a championship team top to bottom. You saw what they did to Phoenix last night. We came in ready and we’re ready to trust our habits.”
Ham also discussed the trust built throughout the season, saying, “The habits we’ve been building, the things we’ve been working on… guys are now embracing it fully. There’s the trust. Trust of player to coach, and trust of player to player. You see it defensively and offensively.”
Ousmane Dieng led the Bucks with 19 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks in his first game against Oklahoma City since being traded. AJ Green added 17 points, and Bobby Portis contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The Thunder, missing MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, relied on Isaiah Joe, who scored 17 points, and Chet Holmgren, who had 16 points and 13 rebounds. Nikola Topic made his NBA debut after recovering from testicular cancer, finishing with two points, one rebound, and one assist in 12 minutes.
Ham said, “It was a total team effort, but our defense tonight was spectacular. We’ve worked on stuff all year, and guys are embracing it fully.”
Milwaukee controlled most of the first half, leading 67-55, before extending the advantage in the third quarter with an 89-73 score. The Bucks pushed the lead to 24 points in the final period.
