The Bucks are officially back. After two consecutive years of playoff humiliations and a rough 2-8 start to this season, Milwaukee capped off a remarkable early season turnaround with victory in the final of the second edition of the Emirates NBA Cup.
The team took the honours in a comfortable 97-81 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Las Vegas, behind a monstrous performance from starman Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time former MVP had said before the game that the Bucks had “unfinished business” in the cup, having been eliminated in the semi-final of last year’s tournament. Antetokounmpo himself led the charge, scoring 26 points en route to a triple-double, additionally contributing 3 blocks to power Milwaukee to victory and take care of business in the desert.
Both teams came into the game with injuries to key players, Milwaukee missing forward Khris Middleton while OKC were still without starting-center Chet Holmgren.
OKC had started out the better of the two teams; Holmgren’s backup, Isiah Hartenstein was an early stand out, hitting all of his first 5 shots while Gilgeous-Alexander found his shooting form early as the Thunder opened up an early 1st quarter lead. Milwaukee fought back though, and despite OKC’s strategy of crowding him with defenders when he was close to the basket, Antetokounmpo was scoring with ease, hitting a variety of shots and even demonstrating his improved mid-range shooting with a tough fadeaway shot over Lu Dort. The Greek Freak also punished OKC for giving him so much defensive attention by contributing 5 assists for the Bucks by halftime. Despite Milwaukee having issues keeping the ball (eight turnovers in the first half), OKC couldn’t capitalise, shooting a dismal 1-for-15 from three-point range in the opening two quarters
In the second half, the Bucks flexed their muscles and pulled away. Damian Lillard, who went 5-for-10 from beyond the arc, stood in stark contrast to OKC’s continued shooting woes. Gilgeous-Alexander finished a frustrating night shooting 8-for-24 from the field, and as a team, the Thunder hit just 5 of 32 three-pointers.
This offensive collapse saw OKC score only 13 points in the 3rd quarter and a strong opening to the 4th quarter by Milwaukee’s supporting cast while Giannis rested on the bench. 3 pointers from Brook Lopez and Gary Trent jr helped the team take a 20-point lead that rendered the remaining minutes of the game a formality.
The victory marks a stark turnaround in fortunes for the Wisconsin outfit after their poor start to the season. The Bucks have gone 12-3 over their last 15 games and have established themselves as playoff contenders, with Antetokounmpo himself an early favourite for the MVP award, meanwhile Damian Lillard is again looking like the elite scorer Milwaukee traded for 18 months ago.
For the Thunder, their 81 points is the second lowest total for a team in a game this season, just barely eclipsed by the LA Clippers 80-point game against the Lakers earlier this year.
The Thunder return to NBA action on Thursday, hoping to shake off this performance with a win against a depleted Orlando Magic. Meanwhile, the Bucks look ahead to the high flying Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
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