Russell Westbrook, Thunder Thump Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
Russell Westbrook flirted with his fourth triple-double of the season Tuesday night as the Oklahoma City Thunder made light work of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, 110-91, at BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Westbrook, who triple-doubled with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists Saturday night against the Chicago Bulls, finished the rout Tuesday with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Antetokounmpo countered with a game-high 28 points, eight boards and three dimes, but he didn't have much help as the Thunder defense locked up a Bucks attack that entered the night ranked 10th in offensive efficiency, according to NBA.com.
Oklahoma City's defense did a particularly admirable job against Antetokounmpo.
Although the NBA's scoring leader shot 9-of-14 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from three-point range, the Thunder made him settle for jump shots more often than not as they packed the paint in an effort to muck up Milwaukee's offense.
That approach paid off, as Antetokounmpo was the only Bucks player to finish in double figures on a night when the team shot 42.1 percent from the field and 9-of-30 from deep.
ESPN.com's Royce Young noted Oklahoma City may be starting to mesh following consecutive thrashings of Central Division foes:
The Thunder also thrived offensively as Westbrook deployed a two-pronged approach featuring finesse and ferocity.
The finesse was evident in the passing department, as Westbrook continued to display tremendous chemistry with center Steven Adams (14 points, 11 rebounds) in the pick-and-roll:
Then there was the ferocity, which was particularly evident in the second quarter when Westbrook turned an apparent layup into a vicious left-handed finish:
The Thunder were also buoyed by strong efforts from Carmelo Anthony (17 points, eight rebounds) and Paul George (20 points) as they kept the Bucks on their heels throughout, according to ESPN.com's Nick Friedell:
Now 4-3 on the season, the Thunder have won three of their past four games after starting the year 1-2. They'll look to rip off a third straight win Friday evening when they host the Boston Celtics at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Bucks, who are also 4-3, have dropped two of their last three and will attempt to avoid falling to .500 Wednesday when they travel to the Spectrum Center for a clash with the Charlotte Hornets.
