OKLAHOMA CITY _ The biggest question in the NBA on Tuesday night was whether Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook would be able to tie Oscar Robertson's record by recording his 41st triple-double of the season.
Westbrook's performance has been a compelling storyline all season, as he took the reins of the franchise after Kevin Durant's offseason decision to join the Golden State Warriors.
The Milwaukee Bucks ended up as the latest footnote in Westbrook's season, not doing all that much to get in the way of history.
Westbrook indeed tied Robertson's record from the 1961-62 season, wrapping up his triple-double with 9 minutes, 17 seconds remaining in the third quarter when he grabbed a defensive rebound and hit Taj Gibson under the basket for an assist. He finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists in just 27 minutes as the Thunder rolled to a 110-79 victory over the Bucks in front of a sellout crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Following a month in which the Bucks were one of the hottest teams in the NBA, Milwaukee seemingly couldn't do anything right against the Thunder. The Bucks led for a total of 19 seconds, trailed by as many as 39 points and shot just 35.8 percent _ their second-lowest percentage of the season.
The Bucks' struggles began early, as they had difficulty dealing with the Thunder's tenacious defense and length in the first quarter. When the Bucks were able to penetrate, they couldn't get clean looks, missing numerous shots from in and around the paint.
Even high-flying Giannis Antetokounmpo had an unusual amount of trouble in the lane as he was dogged by Andre Roberson. Roberson set the tone in the first two minutes of the game, standing up to Antetokounmpo on a one-on-one fast break and blocking the Greek Freak's layup attempt, smacking the ball down and off Antetokounmpo's back out of bounds.
As stifling as Oklahoma City's defense was, Milwaukee held its own for much of the first quarter, trailing, 23-20, with about two minutes left when Westbrook went to the bench for the first time. Although the Thunder is far from the same team with Westbrook on the bench, that's precisely when Oklahoma City took over for good.
Led by Alex Abrines, who came off the bench to hit four 3-pointers, Enes Kanter and Semaj Christon, the Thunder built an 18-point lead that the Bucks managed to shrink to only 13 before Westbrook returned with just over seven minutes left in the second quarter. And that was as close as Milwaukee would get, as Westbrook powered the Thunder to a 63-39 halftime lead, contributing 12 points, eight rebounds and eight assists before the break to relieve any doubt that he would notch triple-double No. 41.
When Westbrook capped off his triple-double early in the third quarter _ his seventh in a row _ he was lustily celebrated by the home crowd with an emphatic standing ovation. After that it wasn't long before many of those same fans headed for the exits. With the result obviously determined, both teams rested their starters for the bulk of the second half.
Michael Beasley led the Bucks with 14 points in 12 minutes off the bench _ his longest run in three games since returning from a hyperextended left knee. Antetokounmpo chipped in 11 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes. Kanter led all scorers with 17 points as the Thunder bench combined for 65 points.
All of those numbers will be recorded for posterity, but the only statistic that will be remembered from Tuesday night will be Westbrook's record-tying 41st triple-double.
