OKC's Westbrook claims bragging rights in marquee matchup
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (left) and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Raymond Felton battle for a loose ball in the fourth quarter of their NBA game at BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on October 31, 2017. The Thunder won 110-91.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 28 points but reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook claimed bragging rights as the Oklahoma City Thunder thumped the Milwaukee Bucks 110-91 on Tuesday night.
American Westbrook finished just shy of his fourth triple double of the season, scoring 12 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and collecting 9 assists for the Thunder in front of a crowd of 18,700 at the Bradley Center arena.
The game was billed as a matchup between the defending league MVP Westbrook and the early season frontrunner for the award Bucks superstar Antetokounmpo.
But unlike Greece's Antetokounmpo, Westbrook got plenty of help from his supporting cast Tuesday as Paul George scored a team-high 20 points and Carmelo Anthony chipped in with 17.
Jeremi Grant also finished with 17 for the Thunder, who shot 49 percent and improved to 4-3 on the season.
"I thought we played a great game on offense in the first half," Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan said. "We really moved the ball well and we generated high-quality shots."
The 22-year-old Antetokounmpo led the Bucks but failed to reach the 30-point mark for just the second time this season.
Antetokounmpo, who grew up in Athens and is of Nigerian descent, hit 9 of 14 shots, including a pair of 3-pointers. But Milwaukee shot just 42.1 percent overall as it lost its second game in the last three.
"They just played better than us," Antetokounmpo said. "They were more physical than us. We need to do a better job of being ready, especially against teams like OKC."
Oklahoma City wasted little time setting the tone, using a 16-0 run to jump out to a 20-8 first-quarter lead.
Antetokounmpo drew his third foul just a minute into the second quarter and spent the next eight minutes on the bench.
Milwaukee struggled to keep pace without him and fell behind by as many as 24 before going into halftime down 42-60.
No other Buck scored in double figures.
The star-laden Thunder taught a lesson to the up-and-coming Bucks, who hope to contend in the Eastern Conference.
"When we play the grown-ups, we've got to be ready, and we weren't," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "They played the grown-ups tonight."
Elsewhere in the National Basketball Association on Tuesday, it was: Pacers 101, Kings 83; Suns 122, Nets 114; and Lakers 113, Pistons 93.
