Antetokounmpo leads Bucks over Thunder to NBA Cup Tournament title

A triple-double from Giannis Antetokounmpo allowed Milwaukee to defeat the favored Oklahoma City Thunder by 16 points.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks silenced the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half and won the second edition of the NBA Cup with a 97-81 victory in Las Vegas.

Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Antetokounmpo delivered a triple-double with 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists along with two steals and three blocked shots for the Bucks, who made 17 three-pointers to end an undefeated run and follow in the footsteps of the Los Angeles Lakers as tournament winners of the season.

Damian Lillard scored 23 points for the Bucks, who held the potentially explosive Thunder offense to 31 points in the second half on Tuesday.

“This is who we are,” Antetokounmpo said of the Bucks’ second-half dominance that saw them extend their one-point halftime lead to as many as 20.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points, but connected on just eight of his 24 field shots, two of nine from three-point range.

The triumph was satisfaction for the Bucks, who lost to the Indiana Pacers in the Cup semifinals last year.

They were the only team from last season’s semifinals to make it back to the Final Four in Vegas, defeating the Orlando Magic in the quarterfinals and defeating Atlanta in the semifinals.

Their cup success was part of a huge turnaround after a dismal 2-8 start to the season.

They have now won 13 of their last 16 games and Antetokounmpo, who led the Bucks to the 2021 NBA title, indicated he viewed it as just a stepping stone.

“It’s great for our team,” said Antetokounmpo, who was named tournament MVP. “The last 15 games we played, we competed against each other. We played team basketball.

“I’m so proud of this group,” he added. “After halftime we know we have 24 minutes left, we came out in the third quarter, we set the tone. We played great team basketball.”