Everyone has a lucky number in Las Vegas. For the Milwaukee Bucks, it was three — and the NBA Cup was their prize.
Tournament Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo on Tuesday night scored 26 points to go along with 19 rebounds and 10 assists, while Damian Lillard added 23 points as the Bucks connected on 17 three-pointers on the way to beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 in the NBA Cup title game.
“Everybody did their job,” Lillard said. “We defended. We played well from the start of the game all the way through the finish. I think it just showed what we’ve been building. I think it all came out in our biggest game to this point.”
Photo: Candice Ward-Imagn Images / USA Today
Brook Lopez and Gary Trent Jr each scored 13 for the Bucks, who joined the Los Angeles Lakers as the only champions of the two-year-old event. A 19-5 Milwaukee run in the second half turned what was a five-point game into a 19-point game early in the fourth, and the Bucks kept control the rest of the way.
“It’s great. It’s great for our team,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’re getting better... We know we’re leaving Vegas as a better team. I’m so proud of this group. Man, I’m so proud of this group.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 and Jalen Williams added 18 for the Thunder, who had scored at least 99 points in every game this season. However, they sputtered in plenty of ways on Tuesday, getting outscored 51-15 from beyond the arc and shooting only 34 percent.
“We didn’t shoot it well, but that’s never an excuse... We’ve shot bad and won games before, so that’s not an excuse,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
Although the game only counted for tournament purposes, there was about US$300,000 in additional bonus money for Bucks players — they got US$514,971 apiece, while the Thunder players got US$205,988 each. The win, the loss and the statistics from the game do not count toward the regular season.
The triumph was a vindication for the Bucks, who were stung by the Indiana Pacers in last year’s Cup semi-finals.
They were the only team from last season’s semis to make it back to the final four in Vegas, beating the Orlando Magic in the quarter-finals and dispatching Atlanta Hawks in the semis.
Mired toward the bottom of the NBA after a 2-8 start, the Bucks have been on a tear since. Tuesday’s victory was their 13th win in their past 16 games, even though it would not be part of the official record.
No matter: When the Bucks emptied their bench with 1 minute, 37 seconds left, Antetokounmpo pumped his fists like it was a true championship moment.
Antetokounmpo, who led the Bucks to the 2021 NBA title, indicated he considered it only a stepping stone.
“It’s great for our team,” he said. “The last 15 games we’ve played, we’ve competed. We’ve played team basketball.”
“I’m so proud of this group,” he added. “Coming out of halftime we know we have 24 minutes to go, we came out in the third quarter, we set the tone. We played great team basketball.”
However, Antetokounmpo made clear that this was just the beginning, as another title chase starts in June next year.
“Job’s not done,” he said.
Additional reporting by AFP
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