Giannis Antetokounmpo had a strong performance as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Atlanta Hawks 110-102 on Saturday to advance to the NBA Cup final. The Bucks will play against the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who led his team to a 111-96 win over the Houston Rockets in the semi-finals held in Las Vegas.
Antetokounmpo, who entered the night as the NBA’s leading scorer, posted a well-rounded 32 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists, and four blocks while shooting 10-of-15 from the floor. Teammates Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez contributed 25 and 16 points, respectively. Trae Young led Atlanta with 35 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds but could not stop Milwaukee from pulling away late.
“This was about redemption after last year,” Khris Middleton said, referring to how the Bucks bowed out of the semifinals in the tournament’s maiden season. “To close it out the way we did was great.”
The Thunder dominated into the final on the strength of Gilgeous-Alexander’s 32 points, especially in the second half. The Canadian guard added eight rebounds, six assists, and five steals to his total. Trailing 42-41 at halftime, Oklahoma City opened the third quarter with a strong performance, including 12 points from Gilgeous-Alexander.
“We stuck to our principles and played together,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That gave us the chance to pull away.”
With both teams on strong runs-top-ranked Milwaukee rallying from a slow start to the season with a 12-3 mark over their last 15 games, Oklahoma City atop the Western Conference standings-the final promises an intense takedown Tuesday night in Las Vegas.
Antetokounmpo summarized the Bucks’ mindset: “If we compete as a team, we’ll win. The job’s not done yet.
