A triple-double by Giannis Antetokounmpo allowed Milwaukee to defeat the favorite Oklahoma City Thunder by 16 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks silenced the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half to win the second edition of the NBA Cup with a 97-81 victory in Las Vegas.
Antetokounmpo, the two-time NBA MVP, scored a triple-double of 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists, in addition to two steals and three shots for the Bucks, who scored 17 three-pointers to complete an unbeaten run and follow in his footsteps. From the Los Angeles Lakers as champions of the season.
Damian Lillard scored 23 points for the Bucks, who raised the Thunder's offensive tally to 31 points in the second half on Tuesday.
“That's what we are,” Antetokounmpo said of the Bucks' second-half dominance, which saw them push their one-point halftime lead to 20 points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points, but made only eight of 24 shots from the field, two of nine from three-point range.
The victory was proof of the victory for the Bucks, who suffered a major shock to the Indiana Pacers in the Cup semi-finals last year.
They were the only team from last season's semifinals to return to the quarterfinals in Vegas, defeating the Orlando Magic in the quarterfinals and dispatching Atlanta in the semifinals.
Their Cup success has been part of a massive turnaround after a poor 2-8 start to the season.
They have now won 13 of their last 16 games, and Antetokounmpo, who led the Bucks to the 2021 NBA title, indicated he sees this as just a starting point.
“It's great for our team,” said Antetokounmpo, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. “The last 15 games we've played, we've competed. We've played team basketball.
“I am very proud of this group,” he added. “Coming out of the first half, knowing we had 24 minutes left, we came out in the third quarter, setting the tone. We played great team basketball.”
2024-12-18 08:37:22
