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NBA Cup Championship: Bucks dominate defense, second half earns lopsided win over Thunder

That’s it for this 1-6 start.

The Milwaukee Bucks are now your NBA Cup champions. The Bucks faced a Thunder team considered by many to be favorites for the NBA title and earned a one-sided 97-81 victory Tuesday night in the NBA Cup championship game in Las Vegas.

The victory capped a 7-0 run for the Bucks in the NBA Cup that reaffirmed their position as contenders in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee has now won 14 of 20 games since its slow start and improved to 14-11 to return to the right side of the Eastern Conference standings.

Tuesday’s victory does not count in the standings. But it certainly matters in Milwaukee for a Bucks team that was considered a contender early in the season.

The Bucks won Tuesday night, thanks to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s physical play, Damian Lillard’s strong shooting and a dominant defense that stifled Oklahoma City’s shooters. Lillard and Antetokounmpo played like their All-Star selves, while the Thunder had one of their worst shooting nights of the season.

Oklahoma City shot 33.7% from the field and was terrible from long range on a 5-of-32 (15.6%) effort from beyond the arc. There will be better nights from this talented Thunder team. But Tuesday belonged to the Bucks.

The first half was anything but a blast. Oklahoma City opened a 28-27 lead in the first quarter that Milwaukee countered in the second quarter to take a 51-50 advantage at halftime in what was shaping up to be a thriller.

But the Bucks opened the third quarter with back-to-back 3s from Taurean Prince and Lillard and didn’t look back.

The Bucks took control with a 26-14 advantage in the third quarter and didn’t let off the gas in the fourth. While Milwaukee’s shooters rained down 3s, Oklahoma City’s shots echoed off the iron. Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo took advantage whenever he found a mismatch at the position, which happened often.

As the clock ticked down to less than two minutes, Bucks fans in Las Vegas were celebrating. There were plenty of reasons to celebrate on the Milwaukee bench, too. As an NBA Cup winner, each Bucks player got a bonus of around $515,000.

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It wasn’t so bad for the Thunder players, who got around $216,000 each as finalists. But this high-profile loss will surely sting a young team looking to establish itself as a contender.

Antetokounmpo led the way for Milwaukee with a triple-double of 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists. He added three blocks and two steals while shooting 10 of 19 from the field. Lillard had 23 points, four rebounds and four assists while shooting 5 of 10 from 3-point range.

The third-best 3-point shooting team in the NBA (38.9%), the Bucks were strong beyond the arc as a whole shooting 17 of 40 (42.5%) from long range. Milwaukee earned a 52-43 rebounding advantage and contributed to 25 of its 34 field goals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City in scoring with 21 points, four rebounds and two assists. But he shot 8 of 24 from the floor and 2 of 9 from 3 in an effort that summed up the Thunder’s shooting night.

Isaiah Hartenstein was the only Thunder player to shoot 50 percent or better from the field on a 6-of-11 effort that produced 16 points and 12 rebounds. Jalen Williams shot 8 of 20 en route to 18 points.

It was a dominant effort on both sides of the ball for the Bucks – the kind to renew championship hopes that seemed lost in the first month of the season.

LIVE COVERAGE IS COMPLETED39 updates

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    Giannis Antetokounmpo is your NBA Cup MVP

    After a triple-double tonight, the Greek Freak is in-season tournament MVP, regular season MVP, All-Star Game MVP and NBA Finals MVP. He and LeBron James are the only players who can say that.

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    Important Note: Darvin Ham was the head coach of the Lakers’ undefeated run in IST last year and is now an assistant coach on this Bucks team. He is 14-0 in NBA Cup play. A very specific legend in the making.

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    FINAL: Bucks 97, Thunder 81

    After entering halftime with a single point lead, the Bucks demolished the Thunder to win the second NBA tournament of the season. Spot the confetti.

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    Giannis leaves with MVP chants and a stat line of 26-19-10, with Milwaukee leading by 19. He got my vote. Would he be ready to get another one?

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    Doc Rivers clears his bench as Antetokounmpo comes out to chants of “MVP.” We’re done here.

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    There are almost three minutes left and we are still trending towards a comfortable Bucks victory. They lead 94-77, with Giannis Antetokounmpo having 26 points, 18 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks.

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    Okay, so…game stats don’t matter. The match does not enter the ranking. But what about technology and blatant mistakes?

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    Bobby Portis just got called for a flagrant 1 for his elbow against Isaiah Joe. That’s two free throws and a possession for OKC, the kind of swing the Thunder need if they have any hope of rallying, down 88-69.

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    The wave began during the examination of this official. Usually lame and cheesy. Today? Not so bad.

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    Bobby Portis just hit Isaiah Joe with an elbow that knocked Joe down. It could be worse. Nikola Mirotic felt those hands.

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    Competitive game turning into a route unless OKC puts something together, quickly.

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    End of 3rd quarter: Bucks 77, Thunder 64

    The Bucks took control with a 26-14 advantage in the third quarter. Can the Thunder mount a rally, or will the Bucks win the NBA Cup with a 7-0 Cup record?

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    Make it 3-24 from 3 as SGA misses at the buzzer. 77-64, dollars.

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    The Thunder: a robust 3-23 from 3.

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    The Bucks jump on Thunder to start the third quarter. They are just as feisty and a little bigger up front. 69-60.

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    Lady with a possession of 5 points

    The Bucks take control. Damian Lillard just had a 5-point possession to extend Milwaukee’s lead to 64-53. Lu Dort and Mark Daigneault both received technical fouls after a loose ball scrum. Lillard made both free throws, then capped the possession with a 3-pointer off a jump ball for Milwaukee’s biggest lead of the night.

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    We are back in action. Taurean Prince and Damian Lillard open the 3rd quarter with Bucks 3 to extend Milwaukee’s lead to 57-50.

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    51-50 at halftime. It’s entertaining and competitive. Exactly what the league wanted and probably needed.

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    Halftime: Bucks 51, Thunder 50

    We have a match worthy of a championship match. Milwaukee leads 51-50 after a competitive first half. The Thunder remain tight despite a terrible 3-point half.

    Half-time leaders:

    Deer
    Giannis Antetokounmpo: 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 of 9 FG
    Damian Lillard: 12 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 of 4 of 3

    Thunder
    Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
    Isaiah Hartenstein: 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
    Jalen Williams: 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal

    3-point shot
    Bucks: 7 of 18 (38.9%)
    Thunder: 1 in 17 (5.9%

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    Isaiah Hartenstein and Andre Jackson received compensatory technical information for their skirmish. No free throws, keep going. Each player risks being ejected with another technique.

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