LAS VEGAS – – In Las Vegas everyone has a lucky number. For the Milwaukee Bucks it was 3.

And the NBA Cup was their prize.

Tournament MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 26 points along with 19 rebounds and 10 assists, Damian Lillard added 23 points and the Bucks hit 17 3-pointers en route to a 97-81 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup title game on Tuesday night.

Brook Lopez and Gary Trent Jr. each scored 13 points for the Bucks, who joined the Los Angeles Lakers as the two-year tournament’s only champions. A 19-5 run by Milwaukee in the second half turned a five-point game early in the fourth into a 19-point game, and the Bucks remained in control the rest of the game.

“It’s great, it’s great for our team,” Antetokounmpo said. “We are getting better. … We know we’re leaving Vegas a better team. I am 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 on Tuesday they faltered in many ways, outscoring the game from distance 51-15 and shooting just 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 the Bucks players – they received $514,971 each, while the Thunder players received $205,988 each – but the game’s win, loss and stats are not considered for the regular season.

The Bucks were at the bottom of the NBA after a 2-8 start and have been in slump ever since. It was their 13th win in the last 16 games, although it will not count towards the official record.

No matter: When the Bucks emptied their bench with 1:37 left, Antetokounmpo clenched his fists like it was a true championship moment.

He’s won bigger games – after all, he and the Bucks won the 2021 NBA title. But they said from the start of this tournament that the NBA Cup was a priority.

And in the end they left no doubt.

“We struggled to get out of the gates,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “No one here doubted what we could be and who we could be, and we just persevered. We stuck together and that is the byproduct of a team sticking together. But we still have a lot to do.”

Antetokounmpo was even more succinct: “The job isn’t done yet,” he said.

Takeaways

Bucks: Playing without guard Khris Middleton (no COVID illness), Milwaukee still improved to an NBA-best 12-1 all-time mark in NBA Cup games, including a perfect 7-0 this season. The Bucks’ only tournament loss this season came last year in the semifinals against Indiana.

Thunder: It was a rare night where Oklahoma City played uphill and trailed by as many as 20 points. The Thunder have trailed by more than 14 points in just two of their 25 games so far in the regular season, trailing by 30 points to Golden State and by 21 to San Antonio.

Key moment

No fewer than five players ended up on the court, all fighting for a loose ball with 9:12 left in the third quarter. Thunder forward Lu Dort was hit by a technical, coach Mark Daigneault got another a few seconds later and Lillard had At the end, five points of possession – two free throws for the technicians, followed by a three-pointer.

Key statistics

The Thunder are 20-1 when leading after three quarters this season. They are now 0-5 if it is a draw or falls into the final quarter (although officially it will be 0-4 as this game is not counted).

Next

The Thunder visit Orlando on Thursday and Miami on Friday. The Bucks visit Cleveland on Friday and host Washington on Saturday.

——

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA