The Oklahoma City Thunder play their first preseason home game tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks at Paycom Center. This matchup follows a 116-110 road loss to the New Orleans Pelicans in Tulsa on Tuesday. Head coach Mark Daigneault is expected to continue evaluating his reshaped squad in this second of five exhibition contests.
The game tips off at 7:00 PM Central Time on Wednesday night. Broadcast details are available through local listings and the team's official partners. Fans can follow all the action live from Oklahoma City. This is a key opportunity for the Thunder's new faces to get comfortable in front of the home crowd.
OKC's rotation will look different. The team traded veterans Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe this summer. They've brought in rookies Aday Mara, Bennett Stirtz, Otega Oweh, and Josh Dix to compete for roles. Several established players were rested for the first preseason game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Cason Wallace, and Alex Caruso all sat out against New Orleans. Jaylin Williams missed the game with right heel soreness. Nikola Topić and Thomas Sorber, who've been limited in camp, were also unavailable. Their status for tonight remains a game-time decision.
Preseason results aren't the main focus, but integrating new players is. The Thunder are building chemistry ahead of the regular season. They'll want to see improved defensive communication and offensive flow against a Bucks team featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo. Evaluating the rookies under NBA lights is a big part of the process.
Coach Daigneault will be watching how the pieces fit. He needs to determine which lineups work before the games start to count.
While this is a preseason game, the Thunder enter with positive momentum from their previous campaign. That win capped a strong finish.
That standard is what this new group will aim to build upon starting tonight.
