Damian Lillard #0 and Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks slap hands on the bench after Antetokounmpo checked out late in the fourth quarter of the championship game of the Emirates NBA Cup against the Oklahoma City Thunder at T-Mobile Arena on December 17, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bucks defeated the Thunder 97-81. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP
LAS VEGAS — Everyone has a lucky number in Las Vegas. For the Milwaukee Bucks, it was 3.
And the NBA Cup was their prize.
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Tournament MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 26 points to go along with 19 rebounds and 10 assists, Damian Lillard added 23 points and the Bucks connected on 17 3-pointers on the way to beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 in the NBA Cup title game Tuesday night.
READ: NBA Cup: Giannis makes ‘winning plays’ Bucks needed in semis win
GIANNIS, BUCKS WIN THE #EmiratesNBACup 🏆
🔥 26 PTS
🔥 19 REB
🔥 10 AST
🔥 3 BLK
🔥 2 STLThe Greek Freak put on a SHOW in Vegas! pic.twitter.com/tHDReTvS25
— NBA (@NBA) December 18, 2024
Brook Lopez and Gary Trent Jr. each scored 13 for the Bucks, who joined the Los Angeles Lakers as the only champions of the 2-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.
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“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. But they sputtered in plenty of ways Tuesday, getting outscored 51-15 from beyond the arc and shooting only 34%.
Isaiah Hartenstein had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which was held to 31 points after halftime.
It’s a game that only counted for tournament purposes. There was about $300,000 in additional bonus money for Bucks players — they got $514,971 apiece, while the Thunder players got $205,988 each — but the win, the loss and the statistics from the game won’t count toward the regular season.
READ: Does NBA Cup need star power of does Las Vegas sell itself?
Bucks hoist the NBA Cup as #EmiratesNBACup Champions! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/7l6YaQ3HvO
— NBA (@NBA) December 18, 2024
Mired toward the bottom of the NBA after a 2-8 start, the Bucks have been on a tear since. This was their 13th win in their last 16 games, even though it won’t be part of the official record.
No matter: When the Bucks emptied their bench with 1:37 left, Antetokounmpo pumped his fists like it was a true championship moment.
He’s won bigger games — he and the Bucks captured the 2021 NBA title, after all. But they said from the outset of this tournament that the NBA Cup was a priority.
And they left no doubt in the end.
“We struggled coming out of the gates,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “No one here doubted what we can be and who we can be and we just hung in there. We stuck together and this is the byproduct of a team sticking together. But we still have work to do.”
Antetokounmpo was even more succinct: “Job’s not done,” he said.
Earn-spot-in-nba-cup-title-game”>READ: Bucks top Hawks, Earn spot in NBA Cup title game
Takeaways
Bucks: Milwaukee played without guard Khris Middleton (non-COVID illness) and still improved to an NBA-best 12-1 all-time in NBA Cup games, including a perfect 7-0 this season. The Bucks’ only in-season tournament loss was to Indiana in last year’s semifinals.
Thunder: It was a rare night of playing uphill for Oklahoma City, which trailed by as many as 20. The Thunder trailed by more than 14 points in only two of their 25 games so far in the regular season — getting down by 30 against Golden State and by 21 to San Antonio.
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Key moment
No fewer than five players ended up on the floor, all scrapping for a loose ball with 9:12 left in the third quarter. Thunder forward Lu Dort was hit with a technical, coach Mark Daigneault got another a few seconds later and Lillard ended up with a five-point possession — two free throws for the techs, followed by a 3-pointer.
Key stat
The Thunder are 20-1 this season when leading after three quarters. They’re now 0-5 when tied or trailing going into the final quarter (even though it will officially be 0-4 since this game won’t be counted).
Up next
The Thunder visit Orlando on Thursday and Miami on Friday. The Bucks visit Cleveland on Friday and host Washington on Saturday.
