The Thunder will bring a five-game winning streak into Tuesday night's final, where they will face the Milwaukee Bucks, who triumphed 110-102 over the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinal. While the final is highly anticipated, it will not impact the league standings.
Saturday night’s semifinal featured a showdown between two of the league’s top three defenses, and both offenses struggled to find rhythm in the first half. However, the Oklahoma City Thunder, sparked by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, exploded in the second half, scoring 70 points to pull away after trailing 42-41 at the break.
Isaiah Hartenstein chipped in 21 points for the Thunder, while Jalen Williams added 20, and Luguentz Dort contributed 19 points and nine rebounds.
For the Houston Rockets, Amen Thompson led the way with 19 points, one of six Rockets in double figures, while Alperen Sengun posted 13 points and 11 rebounds.
With both teams ranking among the top three in the Western Conference, Saturday's semifinal felt like a potential playoff preview.
LAS VEGAS – Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and fell just one assist shy of a triple-double, but it was his "winning plays" in the final moments that propelled the Milwaukee Bucks to a 110-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, securing their spot in the NBA Cup championship game.
Antetokounmpo also grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out 9 assists, and recorded 4 blocks, including a jaw-dropping rejection of an alley-oop dunk from Clint Capela with 2:35 remaining, preserving the Bucks' five-point lead. His effort didn’t stop there—Antetokounmpo earned praise from teammates and coaches alike for diving on a loose ball to secure a steal and prevent a turnover with about 6:30 left in the fourth quarter.
“Winning plays,” said Bucks coach Doc Rivers after the game. “You can’t script any of that stuff before the game, but you just have to keep teaching that it takes what it takes every night.”
With the victory, Milwaukee advances to Tuesday night's championship game, avenging their semifinal loss in Las Vegas last season to the Pacers. The Bucks, now 11-1 all-time in NBA Cup play, will face the winner of the Houston-Oklahoma City matchup.
"I’ll do whatever it takes to win a game," Giannis Antetokounmpo said after the Bucks’ win. "I'm happy that I did, because I feel like it translated to the whole team. You’ve got to do whatever is necessary to close this one out. I’m just proud of my teammates. The way we started the game, we set the tone that we were here to compete."
Several Bucks players mentioned that the team arrived in Las Vegas this year with a heightened sense of focus, determined to settle what Antetokounmpo called "unfinished business" from last season and to tackle the Cup in an environment that mimicked a playoff atmosphere.
"We probably looked a little sharper this time around," said Damian Lillard, who contributed 25 points and seven assists. "We came in remembering our last experience, so we came correct. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy against a good team, but we were prepared, and it felt familiar."
The Hawks were ahead going into the fourth quarter, thanks to a stellar 14-point third period from Trae Young. But the Bucks rallied, outscoring Atlanta 12-3 in the final minutes to secure the win. Young finished with 35 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds, but despite the loss, he reflected positively on the team’s Cup run.
"What we’ve done in this Cup was really special, really good," Young said. "We’ve found the way we want to play and figured out the tempo we want to play at. It’s been good. I feel like this Cup has been really good for us. For a young team to go as far as we did, we can use this as momentum heading into the rest of the season."
For the Bucks, reaching the championship game was a significant achievement, especially after their rough 2-8 start to the season. Coach Doc Rivers had made it clear for weeks that the Bucks were targeting the NBA Cup and aimed to win it.
"It’s a competition, man, and you want your team to be competitive," Rivers said. "You want them to accept the challenge, that’s all I’ve been talking about... That’s what I’m proud of for our guys."
Even after Saturday’s victory, Antetokounmpo reminded his team that the job wasn't finished. Quoting the late Kobe Bryant, he stressed the importance of staying focused for one more game to capture the championship.
"The only thing that matters right here is to get a win," Antetokounmpo said. "That’s the message within our team right now. Everybody's got to stay locked in. The job’s not done."
.jpeg)
0 Comments