Giannis dominates and leads Bucks to NBA Cup title game

Giannis dominates and leads Bucks to NBA Cup title game

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and an assist away from a triple-double, Damian Lillard added 25 and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Atlanta Hawks 110-102 on Saturday to clinch a spot in the NBA Cup championship game.

Antetokounmpo finished the game with 14 rebounds, nine assists and four blocks for the Bucks, who improved to 11-1 all-time in NBA Cup games – their only loss coming in last year’s semifinals.

Brook Lopez scored 16 points for Milwaukee.

Trae Young had 35 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Hawks, who got 15 points and 10 rebounds from Jalen Johnson and 15 points from De’Andre Hunter.

Takeaways

Hawks: Young drew 11 fouls in the game, a season high. In two other games this season he caused ten fouls; The Hawks won both. Since joining the NBA, Young has drawn at least 10 fouls in a game 52 times. Every other Hawk combined in that time span has done it once.

Bucks: Antetokounmpo was brilliant, shooting 10 of 15 from the field and 12 of 18 from the foul line. And Bobby Portis provided the usual boost off the bench with 10 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes.

Key moment

Antetokounmpo blocked an alley-oop dunk attempt by Capela at the rim with 2:35 left, preserving the Bucks’ five-point lead.

Key statistics

Going back to last season, including the playoffs, Milwaukee had lost 20 straight games entering the fourth quarter. The Bucks trailed 83-82 heading into the fourth round on Saturday.

Next

The Bucks play either the Thunder or Rockets in the championship game on Tuesday before returning to regular-season play on Friday at the Cavaliers. The Hawks return to regular season play on Thursday at the Spurs.

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