LAS VEGAS — As Giannis Antetokounmpo walked off the floor to roaring “MVP” chants with the NBA Cup firmly in the Milwaukee Bucks’ grasp, there was a sense of accomplishment for a player who has already reached the pinnacle of professional basketball.
Antetokounmpo scored 26 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and dished 10 assists and to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA Cup title with a 97-81 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
“All those feelings leading up to the game, it’s what makes the win even better,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m so proud of the group. Everybody was extremely locked in. We came in, we were focused, played great basketball, and we were able to win this game. We had this goal as a team, and we accomplished it.”
Damian Lillard added 23 points for the Bucks.
Milwaukee becomes the second winner of the Cup, following the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship in the inaugural tournament last season. The Tuesday victory punctuates a drastic turnaround for the Bucks, who have won 13 of their past 16 games after starting the season 2-8. The NBA Cup final doesn’t count as a win in the league standings, though.
“I wouldn’t say it completely flushes (the slow start) because we can’t get those games back,” Lillard said. “That’s why it’s important to not take games for granted, because you look back at the schedule and you look back at four or five games we feel like we should have won.
“I don’t think you can flush it, but we’ve shown the team we started the season as is not the team that we are now, and it was never who we truly were.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points but shot just 8-for-24 from the field, including 2 of 9 from 3-point range. Jalen Williams added 18 points on 8-of-20 shooting, while Isaiah Hartenstein added 16.
It was an uncharacteristically bad offensive night for Oklahoma City, defined by abysmal shooting from beyond the arc. The Thunder went 1-for-17 from 3-point range in the first half and followed that by only scoring 31 points in the second half.
“We didn’t shoot it well tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s not really an excuse. There was definitely controllables tonight we could have taken care of and we didn’t do so, and that’s why the score looked the way it does. We’ve shot bad and won games before, so it’s not an excuse.
“I felt like I got enough touches. I shot 24 shots. I’ve shot less in wins on other nights. The ball didn’t go in as much as I wanted it to tonight.”
Although it was another disappointing outing from a young Thunder core still looking to find itself on the biggest stages, it was another valuable experience for the team moving forward.
“It’s rare to have a feeling like this where it feels like the playoffs, and we’ll kind of take it and learn from it,” Williams said. “It’s a good opportunity for every team that’s in the Cup, especially us being as young as we are, to simulate being in a different city for however long and kind of having a playoff feel to it. It’s definitely good practice.”
Lillard gave the Bucks an 11-point lead by draining one of his signature long range 3-pointers with 9:08 remaining in the third quarter. The bucket came directly following back-to-back technical fouls on Thunder forward Luguentz Dort and coach Mike Daigneault, leading to two free throws that Lillard sank.
Milwaukee carried a 77-64 lead to the fourth period.
Antetokounmpo scored 14 points in the first half and Lillard chipped in 12 as Milwaukee led 51-50 at the break. Hartenstein paced the Thunder with 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the half, despite earning a technical foul after a dust-up with Bucks guard Andre Jackson Jr. Neither team was able to extend the lead to more than five points in the second quarter as the Bucks outscored the Thunder 24-22.
The Thunder opened the game on a 16-9 run, forcing the Bucks to call timeout after 4 1/2 minutes. Lillard promptly answered, scoring seven points on a 13-4 Bucks run as they took their first lead with 3:26 remaining in the first quarter.
Oklahoma City held a 28-27 advantage going into the second, in part because of a go-ahead 3-pointer by Gilgeous-Alexander with 1:22 left in the quarter.
Milwaukee made 34 of its 81 attempts (42 percent) from the field for the game, shooting 17 of 40 (42.5 percent) from 3-point range. The Bucks outrebounded Oklahoma City 52-43 and led by as many 20 points in the second half.
The Thunder shot 29 of 86 (33.7 percent) from the field, making only 5 of 32 attempts (15.6 percent) from long distance.
–Will Despart, Field Level Media
