Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks reach the semifinals of the NBA Cup with a win

Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks reach the semifinals of the NBA Cup with a win

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points for the Oklahoma City Thunder, while Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points for the Milwaukee Bucks, inspiring their teams to reach the NBA Cup semifinals.

Gilgeous-Alexander made five of his team’s season-high 20 three-pointers in a 118-104 win over the visiting Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference quarterfinals.

He also contributed eight rebounds, five assists and three steals as the Thunder pulled away in the third quarter as they turned a three-point halftime lead into a 90-73 lead.

Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall scored 19 points for the Mavericks, while teammate Luka Doncic was limited to 16 points.

They will play either the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals when the competition moves to Las Vegas for the final stages.

In Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo’s performances helped the Bucks to a hard-fought 114-109 win over the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

Damian Lillard was also crucial for Milwaukee, sinking a layup and four free throws with 52.2 seconds left to tie the game at 106 apiece.

Lillard scored 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and also contributed nine assists.

The Bucks, who will play the Atlanta Hawks or New York Knicks in the quarterfinals, reached the semifinals of the inaugural NBA Cup last season before falling to the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas.

“We didn’t have the best experience there last year,” Lillard said.

“I think we’re all thinking about going back and finishing what we started last year and doing it right this time.”

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