Don’t close the Bucks championship window just yet.
Milwaukee added its latest piece of hardware on Tuesday night in Las Vegas, claiming the Emirates NBA Cup title by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The second-annual in-season tournament concluded with the Bucks grabbing a 97-81 victory over the Thunder on the backs of their superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. The former two-time MVP finished with a monster triple-double of 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists while Lillard added 23 points on five-of-10 shooting from deep.
Meanwhile, Hamilton’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was kept in check with 21 points on eight-of-24 shooting as his West-leading Thunder fell short of a possible first trophy on their mantle.
Oklahoma City as a whole struggled to knock down their shots, specifically from beyond the arc. The Thunder went five-for-32 from the three-point line, 12 less makes than the Bucks.
It may not be a second Larry O’Brien trophy during Antetokounmpo’s tenure with the Bucks, but the NBA Cup championship should do plenty to silence skeptics of the aging squad. After a listless 2-8 start, Milwaukee turned things around drastically, and winning the in-season tournament appears to be further confirmation of that.
Since the start of the NBA Cup, the Bucks are 12-3 and boast a top-10 rating on both ends of the floor. This serves as a reminder to the rest of the league that Antetokounmpo and Lillard are still a formidable duo, and opponents would be wise not to overlook them.
Milwaukee returns to regular season action, with each player $500,000 richer, against the East-leading Cavaliers in Cleveland on Friday. The Thunder visit the Orlando Magic on Thursday.
