NBA Cup Championship: Bucks rely on dominant defense, second half with lopsided win over Thunder
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NBA Cup Championship: Bucks rely on dominant defense, second half with lopsided win over Thunder

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

So much for starting 1-6.

The Milwaukee Bucks are now your NBA Cup champions. Facing a Thunder team considered by many to be NBA title favorites, the Bucks secured a lopsided 97-81 victory in the NBA Cup championship game in Las Vegas on Tuesday night.

The win capped a 7-0 run by the Bucks in NBA Cup play that solidified their position as Eastern Conference contenders. Milwaukee has now won 14 of 20 games since its slow start and improved to 14-11 to get back on the right side of the Eastern Conference standings.

The win on Tuesday does not count in the overall standings. But in Milwaukee, it certainly matters for a Bucks team that was written off as a contender early in the season.

The Bucks won Tuesday night thanks to the physical play of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the strong shooting of Damian Lillard and a dominant defense that stifled Oklahoma City’s shooters. Lillard and Antetokounmpo played like their All-Star counterparts, while the Thunder had one of their worst shooting nights of the season.

Oklahoma City shot 33.7% from the field and was terrible from distance, shooting 5-of-32 (15.6%). There will be better nights with this talented Thunder squad. But Tuesday belonged to the Bucks.

The first half was anything but a blast. Oklahoma City built a 28-27 lead in the first quarter, which Milwaukee countered in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 51-50 lead, which turned into a thriller.

But the Bucks opened the third quarter with back-to-back three-pointers from Taurean Prince and Lillard and didn’t look back.

The Bucks took control of the game with a 26-14 lead in the third quarter and didn’t slow down in the fourth. As Milwaukee’s shooters rained down three-pointers, one shot after another from Oklahoma City clattered off the iron. Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo took advantage when he found a mismatch in the post, which was often the case.

With the clock ticking less than two minutes, Bucks fans were celebrating in Las Vegas. There was also plenty to celebrate on the Milwaukee bench. As winners of the NBA Cup, each Bucks player secured a bonus of around $515,000.

Things didn’t go too badly for the Thunder players, as runners-up each secured around $216,000. But the high-profile defeat will certainly hurt a young team looking to assert itself as a contender.

Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with a triple-double with 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists. He added three blocks and two steals and shot 10 of 19 from the field. Lillard scored 23 points, four rebounds and four assists and shot 5 of 10 from 3-point range.

As the NBA’s third-best 3-point shooting team (38.9%), the Bucks were strong from distance overall, shooting 17 of 40 (42.5%) from long range. Milwaukee secured a 43-36 lead at the boards and assisted on 25 of its 34 made field goals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the leading scorer for Oklahoma City with 21 points, four rebounds and two assists. But he shot 8 of 24 from the floor and 2 of 9 from 3, a performance that summed up the Thunder’s shooting night.

Isaiah Hartenstein was the only Thunder player to shoot 50% or better from the field on 6 of 11 attempts that yielded 16 points and 12 rebounds. Jalen Williams shot 8 of 20 en route to 18 points.

It was a dominant performance from both ends for the Bucks – the kind to renew championship hopes that seemed lost in the first month of the season.

The live broadcast has ended39 updates

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo is your NBA Cup MVP

    After a triple-double tonight, the Greek Freak is an in-season tournament MVP, a regular season MVP, an All-Star Game MVP and an NBA Finals MVP. He and LeBron James are the only players who can say that.

  • Important note: Darvin Ham was the head coach for the Lakers’ undefeated streak in the IST last year and is now an assistant coach for this Bucks team. He is 14-0 in the NBA Cup. A very special legend emerges.

  • FINAL: Bucks 97, Thunder 81

    After going into halftime with a single point lead, the Bucks defeated the Thunder and won the second NBA tournament of the season. Specify the confetti.

  • Giannis goes to MVP chants and a stat line of 26-19-10 with Milwaukee leading by 19 points. He got my vote. Could he be willing to collect another one?

  • Doc Rivers empties his bench as Antetokounmpo leaves the room amid chants of “MVP.” We’re done here.

  • There are almost three minutes left and we’re still leaning toward a comfortable win for the Bucks. They lead 94-77, with Giannis Antetokounmpo having 26 points, 18 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks.

  • Okay, so… the in-game stats don’t count. The game is not included in the table. But what about technicians and obvious foul points?

  • Bobby Portis was just called for a blatant 1 for his elbow on Isaiah Joe. That’s two free throws and a possession for OKC, the kind of momentum the Thunder need if they have any hope of rallying from an 88-69 deficit.

  • The wave began during the review of this official. Usually lame and cheesy. Today? Not so terrible.

  • Bobby Portis just hit Isaiah Joe with an elbow that knocked Joe down. It could be worse. Nikola Mirotic felt those hands.

  • A competitive game becomes a route unless OKC puts something together quickly.

  • End of 3rd quarter: Bucks 77, Thunder 64

    The Bucks took control thanks to a 26-14 lead in the third quarter. Can the Thunder make a comeback, or will the Bucks win the NBA Cup with a 7-0 record in the Cup?

  • Make it 3:24 from 3 as SGA fails at the buzzer. 77-64, Bucks.

  • The Thunder: a robust 3-23 from 3.

  • The Bucks jump on the Thunder at the start of the third quarter. They are just as lively and slightly larger in the front. 69-60.

  • Lady with 5 points possession of the ball

    The Bucks take control. Damian Lillard had just 5 points of the ball and extended Milwaukee’s lead to 64-53. Lu Dort and Mark Daigneault both received technical fouls after a loose-ball scrum. Lillard hit both free throws and then capped the possession with a 3-pointer off a jump ball for Milwaukee’s largest lead of the night.

  • We’re back in action. Taurean Prince and Damian Lillard opened the 3rd quarter with Bucks 3s, extending the Milwaukee lead to 57-50.

  • 51:50 at halftime. It’s fun and competitive. Exactly what the league wanted and probably needed.

  • Halftime: Bucks 51, Thunder 50

    We have a game worthy of a championship game ahead of us. Milwaukee leads 51-50 after a competitive first half. The Thunder stay close despite a terrible half from 3-point range.

    Halftime leader:

    dollar
    Giannis Antetokounmpo: 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 of 9 FGs
    Damian Lillard: 12 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 of 4 from 3

    thunder
    Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
    Isaiah Hartenstein: 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
    Jalen Williams: 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal

    3-point shooting
    Dollar: 7 out of 18 (38.9%)
    Thunder: 1 in 17 (5.9%

  • Isaiah Hartenstein and Andre Jackson received a technical compensation for their fight. No free throws, move on. Each player is at risk of another player being removed from the game.

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