Bucks, Thunder advance to NBA Cup semifinals

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks cruised to a 114-109 victory over the depleted but determined Orlando Magic to reach the NBA Cup semifinals, and Oklahoma City beat Dallas.

Antetokounmpo posted 37 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks for the Bucks, who reached the semifinals of the season tournament for the second straight year and will face either the New York Knicks or the Atlanta Hawks for a spot in the finals.

Damian Lillard scored 15 of his 28 points in the final quarter and dished out 9 assists for the Bucks, who had all they could take from Orlando despite the absence of injured Magic stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

Lillard made a dunk to put the Bucks up 108-107 with 32.6 seconds left, and after Orlando's Jalen Suggs missed a 3-pointer, Lillard hit a pair of free throws to increase the Bucks' lead to three points with 9.1 seconds left.

Antetokounmpo and Lillard each added a pair of free throws in the final seconds to seal the hard-fought victory.

"We fought for this one," said Lillard, who said the Bucks will try to improve on last year's performance in the inaugural edition of the event when they head to Las Vegas for the final four.

"We didn't have the best experience there last year," he said. "So I think all of us are thinking [about] going back and finishing what we started last year and doing it right this time."

Suggs scored 32 points and grabbed 9 rebounds for the Magic, who got off to an aggressive start and led 33-25 after one quarter.

Suggs had 3 of the Magic's 7 steals in the first half as Orlando kept the Bucks off balance.

Milwaukee rallied to lead 60-59 at halftime, and after four lead changes in the third quarter, the Bucks took an 80-72 lead into the final period. They would trade the lead four more times before the Bucks finally closed out the game.

Thunder finish off Mavericks

In Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder turned an expected matchup between two of the league's hottest teams into a rout, beating the Mavs 118-104 to end their streak of seven straight wins.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points with 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Jalen Williams added 18 points and center Isaiah Hartenstein 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder, who made 20 of their 50 3-point attempts.

Oklahoma City added its eighth win in nine games and will face either the Houston Rockets or the Golden State Warriors for a spot in the finals.

The Thunder's defense was too much for the Mavs. Klay Thompson scored 19 points for Dallas, Kyrie Irving added 17 and Luka Doncic, who was coming off two consecutive triple-doubles, was held to just 2 first-half points and finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Oklahoma City turned 19 Mavs turnovers into 36 points and won the rebounding battle 52-44.

The quarterfinals will conclude Wednesday, when the Knicks host the Hawks and the Rockets host the Warriors.

Then the action shifts to Las Vegas for Saturday's semifinals and the finals on Dec. 17.

With Las Vegas just around the corner, Gilgeous-Alexander said the game against a Mavs team that eliminated them in last year's playoffs had "a little bit of a playoff feel, a little bit more at stake than just a regular-season game."

"I'm proud of the team, proud of the guys," he said. "We lived up to the moment."