Milwaukee Bucks – Oklahoma City Thunder : 97-81
Even the best defense in the league couldn’t do anything against Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek, already elected MVP twice during his career, has perhaps never been stronger. In any case, he added two trophies to his list last night: his Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Cup by winning against the Oklahoma City Thunder and he was named best player of the match by posting 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists.
A nice turnaround for the Bucks, struggling during the first weeks of the season. Doc Rivers’ team gained momentum around Antetokounmpo but also Damian Lillard, author of 23 points against the Thunder. Behind its duo of superstars, Milwaukee relies on its shooters and some finally regular duty players. Brook Lopez and Gary Trent Jr contributed 13 points each and contributed to their team’s 17 field goals.
The outside skill made the difference in this cup final. Oklahoma City only converted 5 of its 32 attempts from behind the arc and that’s partly what made Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his partners crack in the second period. They only scored 31 points after the locker room. They had not yet fallen below the threshold of 99 pawns this season.
The NBA Cup remains for the moment a fairly anecdotal line in the CV of an NBA player and who knows what will become of the tournament, of which it was only the second edition. But Giannis Antetokounmpo and his partners really needed an opportunity to celebrate. They found the formula to save their season. It’s up to them to apply it for as long as possible.
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