CNN
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The Milwaukee Bucks will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second NBA Cup championship game on Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, after both teams advanced from Saturday’s in-season tournament semifinals.
The Bucks, one of the hottest teams in the league, defeated the Atlanta Hawks 110-102 in the first of two Cup semifinal games on Saturday. Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with a dazzling performance, finishing with 32 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, nearing a triple-double. He added four blocks, including a key one late in the fourth quarter.
Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard added 25 points.
The Bucks (14-11) had a rough start to the season, and that trend continued into the first three quarters as both teams went up and down.
Even though Atlanta led by six points at the half, it always felt like it was closer than the box score indicated.
Late in the third quarter, Atlanta tied the game at 78-78 on Onyeka Okungwu’s 3-pointer. Hawks forward Jalen Johnson then threw down a monster dunk over Bucks forward Bobby Portis, giving Atlanta its first lead since the first quarter.
The game continued to be a fierce battle between the two Eastern Conference foes until the 30-year-old Greek superstar took over and gave Milwaukee a lead that the Hawks could not surpass.
With the Bucks extending their trip to Las Vegas for a few more days, Antetokounmpo shut down any chance of a comeback with a hard block on Hawks center Clint Capela while holding a 103-98 lead.
Hawks star guard Trae Young did everything he could to keep his team afloat, scoring 35 points while adding 10 assists and 7 rebounds.
Antetokounmpo emphasized his team’s defense as the reason they were able to shut out the game despite the tug-of-war between both teams.
“We got stopped. We got stopped,” Antetokounmpo said on TNT after the game. “That was the most important thing after this.”
The Bucks improved to 11-1 overall in NBA Cup play, with their only loss coming in last year’s semifinals.
The team has won 10 of its past 12 games.
Just like last year, Antetokounmpo delivered a simple message to get the bad taste out of the Bucks’ mouths.
“Just have fun,” he said. “Enjoy the game. Let’s get possession down the stretch and win the game. That’s it. If we compete, we’ll win the game.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander overcame a slow start and Oklahoma City defeated the Houston Rockets 111-96 in the NBA Cup semifinals on Saturday.
Scoring was extremely important as the two teams boasting the best defenses in the league engaged in a heated battle.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals as the Thunder extended their winning streak to five straight. The 26-year-old struggled to find his stroke early and was 3-of-12 from the field at halftime.
But the two-time All-Star stepped up after the break and the Thunder outscored the Rockets 70-54 in the remaining games to clinch a spot in the Finals.
“We stayed true to our principles. We knew if we continued like this we would get enough shots,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game.
“We were focused on getting stops all night. We knew if we could do that at a high level, we would have a chance. And that’s what happened.”
Despite facing one of the best defenses in the NBA, Houston couldn’t escape its shooting woes, with its starters making 22 of 70 from the field.
Milwaukee and Oklahoma City will be seeking their second NBA Cup championship after LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers won the title last season. The Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers, and after the game, James was awarded the inaugural in-season tournament MVP award for his strong performance throughout the tournament.
The NBA Cup Championship is scheduled for Tuesday, December 17th at 8:30pm ET.
