by LAS VEGAS – There were skeptics.
Sure, Milwaukee had won 10 of 12 and was in the top 10 in offense and defense in their last 15 games, but not everyone agreed after an ugly 2-8 start to the season. Much of the Bucks’ turnaround involved wins against future lottery teams, but the Bucks lacked a decisive win.
You now have one.
Even if it doesn’t count in the overall ranking.
The Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Cup. In the second half, they pulled away from a cold-shooting Oklahoma City team and won 97-81.
“I think it just showed what we’ve built,” Damian Lillard said. “I think everything crystallized in our biggest game yet… from the film room to the training to our more connected team and the trust on both sides, it’s a really important game for us.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a 26-point triple-double that underscored how much he impacted this game on both sides of the ball. Antetokounmpo was named NBA Cup MVP.
The win really meant something to Lillard – more than half a million in bonus money that will go to the Bucks if they win – because despite all his accolades in the league, he has never been on a team that has won anything like this.
“I’ve gained a lot of experience individually, achieved success and stuff like that,” Lillard said. “But having some team success and winning something to be the last team standing in this tournament. It feels great.”
The stat that defined this game: Oklahoma City shot 5 of 32 (15.6%) on 3-pointers.
That was important because OKC leads the NBA in drives per game and Milwaukee’s defense relies on drop coverage, using the length and size of Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez to clog the lane and block shots at the rim. The Thunder drove, tightened up the defense, stepped forward to get the shooters open, and … rattled shots off the rim like they usually do.
Milwaukee deserves some credit for the Thunder’s cold shooting night, particularly for keeping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams at bay after the first quarter. This duo was a combined 5 of 14 from midfield over the final three quarters, an area of the court where both tend to thrive. The Bucks Andre Jackson Jr. played well and slowed down Gilgeous-Alexander.
“When you play against a good team, you have to continually get good looks and make shots as well,” Williams said. “And I feel like it was just one of those nights.”
Maybe this was just one of those nights, but the Thunder leave this game with the same question we had about them after they lost to Dallas in a playoff series last May: Can this team play in a close game in the half- Score enough points on the court? win big games?
Oklahoma City won’t be able to answer that question until April and May, but initial feedback from Las Vegas in December wasn’t promising.
Things went well for the Thunder, hitting 8 of 10 to open the game, while the Bucks’ non-Greek starters went 1 of 5 from the floor, leading to a quick seven-point Thunder lead . But then the Bucks went on an 8-0 run and it was another game in which Milwaukee took the lead on a Lillard 3. The rest of the first half was close: The Thunder led 28-27 after one quarter, the Bucks were 51-50 at halftime. It was a physical and defensive first half.
The most important stat in the first half: Oklahoma City was 1 of 17 from 3, while Milwaukee’s role players stepped up and the team was 7 of 18 from 3. Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 14 at halftime.
The game got exciting with 9:12 left in the third period when a loose ball on the floor led to Lu Dort jumping to the floor, Antetokounmpo jumping over him and Lopez entering the game before the referee finally called one Jump placed Ball between 6’4″ Dort and 7’1″ Lopez.
Dort was angry and received a technical penalty for his statement to the officials (Dort was right, Antetokounmpo could have been whistled for a foul in the scrum). Then Thunder coach Mark Daigneault got one for supporting Dort. Lillard hit the two technical free throws and then a 3-pointer from the jump ball, and Milwaukee was up 11.
After three quarters, the Bucks extended their lead to 13, 77-64. Not much changed for Oklahoma City, which recorded six turnovers and shot 5 of 19 (26.3%) in the third period.
In the fourth period, Brook Lopez hit a few key three-pointers and the game just seemed to be over.
It was like that, it never really came close again. The Thunder talked about learning lessons.
“There’s an element of size to them, you really have to move them. … These are informative games,” Daigneault said.
For the Bucks, it confirms what they already knew about themselves. Now the world can see it.
