Milwaukee wins the Cup at the expense of Oklahoma City

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks won the second edition of the NBA Cup by dominating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the final (97-81) on Tuesday in Las Vegas. Named best player of the tournament, Antetokounmpo delivered an MVP performance, with a triple-double at 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists, also adding three blocks and two steals.

Undefeated in seven matches in this competition created last year to make the regular season more attractive, the Bucks were held by the Thunder in the first period (51-50), before taking off by winning the third quarter 26 -14. “It’s our identity”Antetokounmpo commented on the surge of the Bucks, who limited the Thunder attack to just 31 points in the second period. “I’m so proud of this group. After halftime we knew we had 24 minutes left, we went into the third quarter, we set the tone.added the «Greek Freak».

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the Thunder’s top scorer with 21 points, however he was clumsy (8 out of 24 shooting), like his team which was too imprecise with only 5 successful 3-point shots out of 32 attempted. , against Milwaukee’s 17 (out of 40). OKC did not do poorly in defense but the Bucks were also able to count on Damian Lillard and his 23 units (5 winning shots). The Bucks were the only team among the semi-finalists of the 2023 edition to return to the final four, which is played in Las Vegas. They succeed LeBron James’ Lakers on the list and confirm their current good form after a failed start to the season.

We know we leave Vegas stronger.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

“It’s great for our team (…) We know we leave Vegas stronger. (…) The last 15 matches we played, we were competitive. We played team basketball”emphasized Antetokounmpo. Even if this final and its statistics do not count for the regular season – it is the only NBA Cup match not taken into account – the Bucks remain on 13 victories in 16 matches, having only recorded two success in their first ten meetings.

Having moved up to fifth place in the East, the 2021 NBA champions resume the regular season on Friday in Cleveland where they will face the Cavaliers, the team with the best record in the league (23 wins, 4 losses). “The work is not finished”Antetokounmpo repeated, a phrase he often quotes, borrowed from the legend Kobe Bryant, meaning that the season is far from over and that the NBA championship title is still at stake. In the meantime, every player in the Bucks squad benefits from a nice reward of 514,971 dollars for this victory (approximately 490,512 euros). Those of the Thunder, who still dominate the Western Conference (20 wins, 5 losses) and will travel to Orlando on Thursday, receive 205,988 dollars (around 196,206 euros).