CNN
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In the second edition of the NBA Cup championship game, the Milwaukee Bucks will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday after both teams advanced from the semifinals of the regular-season tournament on Saturday.

As one of the hottest teams in the league, the Bucks defeated the Atlanta Hawks 110-102 on Saturday in the first of two Cup semifinal games. Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with a stunning performance, nearly finishing the game with a triple-double, scoring 32 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and dishing out nine assists. He added four blocks, including a crucial late block in the fourth quarter.

Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard added 25 points.

The 14-11 Bucks’ start to the season hasn’t been smooth, and that trend continued through the first three quarters as both teams went back and forth.

Despite Atlanta’s six-point deficit at halftime, it always felt closer than the pit score suggested.

Late in the third quarter, Atlanta tied the game at 78-78 after a three-pointer from Onyeka Okungwu. Hawks forward Jalen Johnson then threw a monster dunk on Bucks forward Bobby Portis, giving Atlanta its first lead since the first quarter.

The game remained a closely contested duel between the two Eastern Conference foes until the 30-year-old Greek superstar took over, giving Milwaukee a lead the Hawks couldn’t overcome.

Antetokounmpo’s forceful block on Hawks center Clint Capela held on to a 103-98 lead and prevented a potential comeback as the Bucks will now extend their business trip to Las Vegas by a few days.

Hawks star guard Trae Young did his best to keep the team afloat. He scored 35 points and added ten assists and seven rebounds.

Antetokounmpo emphasized the team’s defense as the reason the game was able to finish despite a tug-of-war between both teams.

“We got stops. We got stops,” Antetokounmpo told the TNT broadcast after the game. “That was the most important thing on the track.”

The Bucks improved to 11-1 all-time in NBA Cup games, with their only loss coming in last year’s semifinals.

The team has won 10 of its last 12 games.

Antetokoumnpo had a simple message after last year to get the “bad taste” out of the Bucks’ mouths.

“Just have fun,” he said. “Enjoy the game. Take it one possession at a time and win the game. That’s it. If we keep up, we will win the game.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander overcame a slow start to lead Oklahoma City past the Houston Rockets 111-96 in the NBA Cup semifinals on Saturday.

With two of the best defensive teams in the league going head to head, it was important to score.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals, helping the Thunder extend their winning streak to five in a row. The 26-year-old struggled to find his shot early on and shot three of twelve from the field at halftime.

After halftime, however, the two-time All-Star turned it around again and helped the Thunder the rest of the way to a 70-54 win over the Rockets to secure a spot in the Finals.

“We have remained true to our principles. We knew if we stuck with it we would be able to get enough shots,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game.

“We just focused on getting stops all night. We knew if we could do this at a high level we would give ourselves a chance and that’s exactly what happened.”

Despite facing one of the NBA’s best defenses, Houston couldn’t escape its shooting woes, with the starters combining to make 22 of 70 shots from the field.

Milwaukee and Oklahoma City are aiming to become NBA Cup champions for the second time after LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers won the title last season. The Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers and James was awarded the MVP award for the first tournament of the season after the game for his strong tournament performances.

The NBA Cup Championship is scheduled for Tuesday, December 17th at 8:30 p.m. ET.