Milwaukee, WI – Russell Westbrook posted his sixth career triple-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied in the fourth quarter to take a 109-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Kevin Durant added 30 points, eight boards and five assists to help the Thunder bounce back from a Friday loss to Minnesota. Serge Ibaka chipped in with 16 points and recorded eight of Oklahoma City's 12 blocks.
The Bucks, losers in five of their last six, were led by Ersan Ilyasova's 29 points and 14 rebounds. Milwaukee, though, shot just 37.8 percent for the contest, with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis combining to shoot 6-for-30.
"We just didn't make enough shots," said Bucks coach Jim Boylan.
Despite its shooting woes, Milwaukee fought back to tie the score by the end of the third quarter and briefly held a 92-87 lead early on in the fourth, but were ultimately done in by an elongated Thunder run.
Over a near seven-minute stretch, Oklahoma City opened up 106-94 lead following the completion of a 19-2 flurry. Westbrook found Nick Collison twice for easy scores under the basket and notched his 10th assist on a 3-pointer from Durant.
Westbrook then capped the run with a long jumper and Milwaukee managed just seven points over the final 8 1/2 minutes of play. They shot just 3-for-13 and committed six turnovers while the Thunder ran away with the contest.
"I though our defense in that fourth quarter really made the difference," said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. "It was an individual effort by a lot of guys, Serge did an excellent job protecting the basket."
With 11 points from Westbrook in the first quarter, Oklahoma City brought a 32-28 edge into the second. The Bucks came within two, 41-39, on a jumper from J.J. Redick, but the Thunder responded with an 11-2 run, as Westbrook's layup created an 11-point edge.
The Thunder led by 10 at the break, but a pair of third quarter Ilyasova triples helped cut the deficit down to two. Then, with 45 seconds to go in the period, Milwaukee jumped ahead, 81-79, on a layup from Ilyasova and entered the fourth tied at 83-83.
Game Notes
The Thunder improved to 8-5 in the second game of a back-to-back ... Milwaukee's Larry Sanders posted 12 points and 10 rebounds ... Ekpe Udoh also had a double-double for the Bucks, finishing with 14 points and 11 boards ... The Thunder shot 53.3 percent (40-for-75) for the game.
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