Milwaukee defeats Oklahoma City to claim undefeated NBA Cup title

The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 on Tuesday in the NBA Cup final, led by a mammoth performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who posted a triple-double at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The “Greek Freak,” a two-time NBA MVP, scored 26 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and dished out 10 assists. He also had 2 steals and 3 blocks.

The game started unconventionally, with the Thunder scoring just one of their first 18 attempts from the 3-point line, though they still managed to finish just a point behind at the end of the first half.

"We're getting better, we've been confident in our abilities," Antetokounmpo said. "I'm very proud of this group, we led the way in the third quarter and competed defensively, that's our essence."

The 3-point line ended up being key in the outcome: Milwaukee shot for 43% (17/40) to Oklahoma City's 16% (5/32).

Damian Lillard scored five of his 10 attempts from the 3-point-line for the Bucks and finished with 23 points and 4 assists.

"We felt connected tonight," Lillard said. "We had a bad start to the season and we knew the stakes were high today, we played together at the most important time."

Lillard, 34, thus clinched his first team title with Milwaukee since joining the team in 2023.

A rally of 8 consecutive points allowed the Bucks to push the lead to 13 at the close of the third quarter.

Canadian star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was outstanding for the Thunder with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

The Bucks had beaten the Atlanta Hawks 110-102 in the semifinals, and with Tuesday's win, they sealed a 7-0 record in the tournament, becoming the second undefeated NBA Cup champion in history.

The Los Angeles Lakers were the first NBA Cup champions in 2023, which they also won without a loss along the way and with LeBron James chosen as the tournament's Most Valuable Player.