Bucks Beat Thunder to Win NBA Cup

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a triple double and Damian Lillard contributed 23 points as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 to win the 2nd NBA Cup in season tournament. Antetokounmpo, the tournament MVP, scored 26 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, and had 10 assists in the victory. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 21 points.

Though the other games in the tournament are included in the regular season standings (as are the player statistics) the championship game does not. The players on teams that reached the quarterfinals, semi finals, and finals all receive extra money from a league prize pool. Bucks players will receive $514, 971 each while the Thunder will get $205,988. And of course there is a nice trophy for the winners. In the grand scheme of NBA things, this has nothing to do with winning an NBA title, just as winning the myriad of holiday tournaments like the Maui Invitational have nothing to do with the NCAA championship. Just ask the Los Angeles Lakers, last year’s champ of the 1st NBA Cup. The Lakers lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Something that should not be overlooked is the performance of the Milwaukee Bucks. On November 10th, Milwaukee was 2-8 and in free fall. Since that time, the Bucks are 10-5 (11-5 if you count the Cup final) and stand at 14-11 on the season, fifth in the Eastern Conference. Antetokounmpo is leading the NBA in scoring at 32.7 points per game, while Lillard is 10th at 25.7. Their combined scoring is the best in the league for a pair of teammates. That’s the kind of thing the Bucks were expecting when they made the deal for Lillard last year, but it didn’t click. This year it is, and Antetokounmpo is again being mentioned as an early MVP candidate, an honor he’s won twice before.