Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

OKLAHOMA CITY - The preseason is a time for NBA teams to figure out their rotations and get their top guys into a good rhythm with each other. It's also a time to gauge the strength and depth of the roster, including among the guys who are fighting to make their way onto the team.

Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer opted for the latter type of assessment Tuesday night in Oklahoma City as he decided to rest five rotation players -- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova -- in favor of getting the remainder of his players some extra run to show what they can do.

"Sometimes in a preseason game instead of playing them a few minutes or limited minutes, I think we just decided let’s get a great workout this morning, try and get their conditioning a little bit this morning (and) play some of the guys that have been working hard that maybe haven’t gotten to play as much and give them an opportunity to see how they play," Budenholzer said. "It’s just kind of a win-win for everybody.”

The Bucks made it dramatic, but they couldn't add a third win to that win-win situation in a 119-115 overtime loss at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

After keeping pace with the Thunder's starters for a quarter, the Bucks fell behind by as many as 12 points in the third quarter before rallying in the fourth. Tim Frazier, who didn't play until the second half, capped the comeback with a 29-footer three-pointer with 0.9 of a second left that sent the bench of Bucks regulars into a frenzy and the game into overtime.

BOX SCORE: Thunder 119, Bucks 115

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"I had just made that turnover before and I told guys, I was like, 'If I get a chance I'm going to make it,'" Frazier said. "God willing, he let the shot go in."

In overtime, though, it was Milwaukee native Deonte Burton, a two-way contract player for the Thunder, who stole the show. Burton scored the Thunder's first 11 points of the extra frame, including back-to-back three-pointers in the final minute, to lift Oklahoma City to the win. Burton finished with 16 points, which all came after the third quarter.

For the Bucks, the loss included notable efforts from multiple players fighting for the team's final roster spot.

Christian Wood, who has had a strong preseason, played a central role in Milwaukee's fourth-quarter comeback. Following a quiet first half in which he scored just two points and struggled to make an impact against Oklahoma City's starters, Wood turned things up to finish with 19 points and 15 rebounds, including 11 fourth-quarter points.

"I felt like I kind of had it going a little bit in the fourth quarter," Wood said. "Me and Tim played really well. We were running a lot of high pick and rolls and it was working well for us."

However, Wood also figured in on the wrong end of a couple plays at crunch time in regulation and was limited in overtime by his five fouls. In regulation with the game tied with under a minute left, Wood fouled Burton on a drive and Burton put the Thunder ahead by one at the free-throw line. Then, with the Bucks down three, Wood lost the ball as he drove the lane.

Overall, though, Wood put forth a positive performance. Playing at the power forward position often next to Tyler Zeller in the middle, Wood displayed good strength and physicality on the boards while also using his athleticism to drive inside for dunks. Defensively, he added three blocks and seemed comfortable defending players of various sizes.

"I got off to a slow start, but I think I made the most of it," Wood said. "It was just anxiousness. I was anxious to try and get it going, try to show what I could do. ... First time starting in my (NBA) career, actually, so the blood, the juices were flowing. But once I slowed down and let it come to me my talent took over, my hard work took over."

Zeller, an incumbent on the Bucks roster whose non-guaranteed contract has him fighting to keep his job, also took advantage of the opportunity Tuesday. After playing a total of 16 minutes in the opening two preseason games, Zeller started and logged a team-high 32 1/2 minutes against the Thunder.

Matched up against Oklahoma City center Steven Adams in the first half, Zeller held his own and got off to a hot start with eight first-quarter points, including a pair of three-pointers. He finished with 17 points on 4 of 8 shooting, seven rebounds and three assists as well as three turnovers. He came up big late in regulation, cutting for alayup with about a minutes and a half left and sinking a pair of free throws with 18.3 seconds on the clock.

“It felt great. Obviously, we’re all here to play, we all love to play," Zeller said of his extended workload Tuesday. "At the same time, Steven Adams is a big guy and I did get a little gassed and missed a few easy little three-, four-foot shots I usually make just because I got a little tired. Got to clean those up and continue to build on this.”

Frazier, in addition to his clutch, last-minute three-pointer, stood out in limited minutes. He didn't play until the second half and logged only 19 minutes, but he finished with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 4 of 5 from three-point range, making his first four attempts from long distance before a miss with 16 seconds left in overtime. He also distributed five assists as he helped lead Milwaukee's comeback.

Shabazz Muhammad had 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting in 30 minutes. Also fighting for that last roster spot, Muhammad didn't stand out as much as his other three competitors Tuesday night.

Muhammad had some pivotal defensive lapses in overtime. He failed to get out to Burton in back-to-back pick-and-pop situations in the final minute, with Burton swishing the open triples each time. Then, with the Bucks down by three and under 10 seconds left, Muhammad was slow to commit a foul while Budenholzer was yelling for him to do so.

With so many notable performances, Tuesday's contest didn't necessarily bring any clarity to the Bucks' battle for their last roster spot. However, Budenholzer said the game alone wasn't likely to make or break anyone's chances.

“I think I’ve mentioned to one or two of them (that) a lot of what they do in practice and what they’ve done through open gym is as important as anything," Budenholzer said. "Obviously, the fans are here, the media’s here, these games are important, but how you establish yourself and what your role is, whether it’s the last guy on the team, a ton of it is done in practice and those environments.”

Malcolm Brogdon, the lone Bucks starter who wasn't held out to rest, had 12 points and seven assists in 22 minutes, setting the tone for Milwaukee early. Rookie Donte DiVincenzo bounced back from an uneven start to finish with 12 points in the loss.

Oklahoma City's Paul George, the most accomplished player who suited up for either side, lit the Bucks up in the first half, scoring 26 points in less than 18 minutes before halftime. George did not play in the second half.

The Bucks will finish the preseason on Friday when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:30 p.m. at Fiserv Forum.