Source: Ethan Miller / Getty
If you had asked any NBA fan a few weeks ago who’d hoist the trophy, it likely wouldn’t have been the actual winners– the
Milwaukee Bucks, who defeated the
Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81.
The squad got off to a 2-8 start as
Giannis Antetokounmpo and
Damian Lillard couldn’t get on the same page, but synergy still emerged, going into the Cup with a 13-11 record.
Last night at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, they took on the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led Oklahoma City Thunder, who could only drop 21 points compared to his 30-point average on the season. He was 8-24 from the field, and he didn’t get much help from the rest of his roster, with the second-highest scorer being Jalen Williams with 18 points and Isaiah Hartenstein with 16. The entire team continued to brick threes as well, missing 27 of 32.
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On the other hand, the Bucks played with a team effort, with Antetokounmpo coming out on top with 26 points, Lillard with 23, and Brook Lopez with 13. More points were sprinkled throughout the team, but they managed to use their size to bully in the paint, especially in the second half, holding the Thunder to just 31 points.
It was a stunner as the Thunder is one of the strongest offensive teams in the league and currently leads the Western Conference with a 20-5 record.
However, Antetokounmpo isn’t reveling in the season win because the contest continues, and he’s aiming to stay focused on winning his second championship.
“We have just got to stay humble, keep on improving,” Antetokounmpo told
ESPN. “We have a lot of basketball in front of us. We play
Cleveland on Friday. Very, very good team. They are going to be waiting for us. Right now, the emotion is at an all-time high. We have to bring it down, be humble. Once we leave here tomorrow, go back to the gym, lock in, and hopefully we can go and get a win against the Cavs.”
See how social media is reacting to the Bucks winning the in-season Emirates Cup below.
