Giannis Antetokounmpo Leads Bucks to NBA Cup Win Against the Thunder

On Tuesday in Las Vegas, Giannis Antetokounmpo helped the Milwaukee Bucks win the NBA Cup by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has won the NBA Most Valuable Player award twice, scored 26 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, and gave 10 assists. His strong play led the Bucks to victory just like the Los Angeles Lakers did in the first tournament.

The Bucks were excellent at shooting three-pointers, making 17 in the game. Damian Lillard also played well, scoring 23 points and helping keep the Thunder’s strong offense to just 31 points in the second half.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was proud of how his team played, especially after halftime, saying, “That’s who we are.” The Bucks turned a one-point lead at halftime into a lead of 20 points, showing their strength.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the top scorer for the Thunder with 21 points, but he struggled with his shooting. The Thunder had a hard time overall, hitting only 15.6% of their three-point shots.

The Bucks have improved a lot since they started the season with more losses than wins. They’ve won 13 of their last 16 games. Antetokounmpo sees this win as just the beginning for his team.

The Bucks were strong on defense, holding the Thunder to their lowest score in a quarter this season with only 14 points in the third quarter. Giannis Antetokounmpo emphasized that good defense is a big part of who the Bucks are.

Although the results of the NBA Cup don’t change the regular season record or count in the players’ career stats, winning the Cup does bring a big financial reward. Each player on the Bucks earned over $514,971, while each Thunder player got $205,988 for finishing second.

The game had some tense moments, with technical fouls given to Andre Jackson Jr from the Bucks and Isaiah Hartenstein from the Thunder after they argued in the second quarter.

Despite the close score in the first half, the Bucks took control in the third quarter with good plays from Lillard and Taurean Prince, securing their win.