Giannis Antetokounmpo leads red-hot Bucks to NBA Cup title

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

And the NBA Cup was their prize.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 26 points along with 19 rebounds and 10 assists, Damian Lillard added 23 points and the Bucks hit 17 3-pointers on their way 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 the game from five points into a 19-point lead early in the fourth half, 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, going 51-15 from distance and shooting just 34% from the floor.

Isaiah Hartenstein had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which was held to 31 points after halftime.

“We did some good things. We outscored them in team scoring, so obviously we did a good job defensively in that regard,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “But offensively it was obviously a tough evening for us all around. We didn’t score nearly enough points, especially in the second half, to give ourselves a chance of winning. But we can learn from it and move forward here.”

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. This 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 championship was the 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.

His point was clear: there is another title to pursue. But it was still a trophy moment to celebrate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.