The Bucks Stop Here: Thunder's Strong Second Half Tops Milwaukee

The Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back from a two-game slide, using a strong second half to beat the Bucks 92-79 Saturday night in Milwaukee.

OKC (6-3) outscored Milwaukee (2-7) 52-39 in the second half and was led by a huge performance by Serge Ibaka.  Ibaka scored 15 points and tied a career-high by grabbing 20 rebounds.  

Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 26 points while Kevin Durant poured in 24. Reggie Jackson provided the spark off the Thunder bench, scoring 11 points on 5-10 shooting.   

O.J. Mayo led the Bucks with 22 points while former Baylor star Ekpe Udoh added 11 points and 11 boards. 

The game was all even at 40-40 at halftime, but OKC turned on the jets in the third quarter.  Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka combined for the first 26 of the Thunder's 32 third-quarter points as they outscored Milwaukee 32-25 in the period. 

The fourth quarter was all about defense for OKC.  A motivated Thunder team held the Bucks to just 14 points in the game's final stanza. 

The Thunder shot 41.5 percent from the floor while Milwaukee shot just 34.9 percent.  The Bucks have lost five straight games.  

The Thunder improved to 3-0 against the Eastern Conference and is back in action Monday night against the Denver Nuggets.  Tipoff from Chesapeake Energy Arena is set for 7 p.m.