MILWAUKEE Bucks leaned on a huge second half surge to defeat Oklahoma City Thunder, 97-81, to rule the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup on Tuesday night (Wednesday in the Philippines) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Giannis Antetokounmpo tallied a triple-double of 26 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists to go with three blocks and two steals as the Bucks became the second recipient of the NBA Cup crown after Los Angeles Lakers.
Damian Lillard added 23 markers, including five three-point conversions, to go with four rebounds and four assists while Brook Lopez and Gary Trent Jr. ended up with 13 markers apiece for the Bucks.
Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham and guard Taurean Prince also became two-time NBA Cup champions after becoming part of the Lakers as head coach and player last year.
From a slim 51-50 lead at the half, the Bucks created separation in the third period behind outside conversions by Lillard and Prince and inside hits from Antetokounmpo for a 77-64 advantage.
Milwaukee maintained their offensive aggresion in the fourth quarter as the lead reached its largest at 97-77 courtesy of three-point connections from Lopez and Trent.
âThis (NBA Cup) championship reminds us that we can beat anybody,â said Bucks head coach Doc Rivers in a post-game interview.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points, Jalen Williams added 18 markers, while Isaiah Hartenstein had a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds in the loss./PN
BOX SCORE:
MILWAUKEE 97 — Antetokounmpo 26, Lillard 23, Lopez 13, Trent 13, Green 9, Prince 6, Portis 5, Jackson 2, Connaughton 0, Beauchamp 0, Johnson 0, Livingston 0, Smith 0.
OKLAHOMA CITY 81 — Gilgeous-Alexander 21, Jal. Williams 18, Hartenstein 16, Joe 7, Wallace 5, Mitchell 5, Dort 4, K. Williams 3, Caruso 2, Wiggins 0, Carlson 0, Jones 0.
Quarterscores: 27-28, 51-50, 77-64, 97-81.
