LAS VEGAS At a neutral location in Las Vegas, the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 on Tuesday to win the 2024 NBA Cup.
With a triple-double of 26 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks and won the MVP award. Damian Lillard scored 23 points and made five of ten three-pointers.
The Thunder’s only player to score more than 20 points in a defeat was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 21 points.
After the game, Antetokounmpo remarked, “Winning is the best feeling ever.” The build-up to the game is just as important as the actual game itself; all of those emotions enhance the winning experience.
Milwaukee just had a one-point advantage at the break after an extremely close first half. However, the Bucks outscored Oklahoma City 26–14 in the second half, especially the third quarter. The Thunder’s third-quarter scoring of 14 points was their lowest of the season.
In the fourth quarter, the Bucks held off any possible comeback by leading by as many as 20 points.
After winning a team award for the first time in his career, Lillard said, “I feel happy.” It was something we wanted to win, and I think teams were a little more interested in it because it was the second year. Teams, in my opinion, played with a little more pride in their efforts to get to Vegas and have a chance to win in the end.
Milwaukee’s outside shooting advantage was a major factor in their success. The Bucks scored 36 more three-pointers than Oklahoma City did.
Meanwhile, the Thunder’s offense stalled. Oklahoma City had the eighth-best offense in the NBA going into Tuesday’s match. However, the Thunder only shot 15.6% from beyond the arc and 33.7% from the field overall, which was a result of their poor three-point shooting.
Following the game, Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledged that we didn’t shoot it well tonight. It’s not truly a justification. Tonight, there were undoubtedly controllables that we could have addressed, but we chose not to, which is why the score seems as it does. It’s not an excuse because we’ve won games despite poor shooting.
The Bucks’ victory was retaliation for their loss in the inaugural NBA Cup, which took place last season. Milwaukee advanced to the Las Vegas semifinals in 2023, but the Indiana Pacers upset them. The Bucks had a perfect 7-0 Cup record this year.
Though the final does not count toward league standings for either team, Milwaukee s championship run puts a capper on an impressive early season turnaround. After starting the season 2-8, the Bucks have now won 13 of their last 16 games including Tuesday s game. However, they still have a 14-11 record.
Regarding the significance of the victory, Antetokounmpo stated, “I think it means we have enough to compete with the best teams.” However, we must maintain our humility.
After Tuesday, Oklahoma City is still leading the Western Conference with a 20-5 record. The Thunder s three-point shooting will be interesting to monitor moving forward, however. In an NBA increasingly reliant on the long ball, Oklahoma City ranks only 19th in three-point percentage, which could put it at a disadvantage against other contenders.
As the winning team, Milwaukee s players will each receive $514,971, while Thunder players will receive $205,988.
The Bucks will resume their regular season slate Friday against the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.
Oklahoma City, meanwhile, plays again Thursday, taking on the Orlando Magic on the first night of a back-to-back.
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