Bucks-Thunder: 5 takeaways from the Emirates NBA Cup Championship

On By Littum

Milwaukee hits 17 3-pointers, sees its star duo shine and shuts down OKC in a 97-81 Emirates Cup Championship victory.

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LAS VEGAS — It’s probably fitting that the Milwaukee Bucks saw their season take a favorable turn in this city, because given how badly it started, what were the odds of this happening?

What were the odds of the Milwaukee Bucks lifting off the mat and capturing the Emirates NBA Cup?

Not only did the Bucks use the championship game to bounce back from a 2-8 start, they also defeated the current Western Conference leader, 97-81, and their win over the Oklahoma City Thunder was hardly in doubt from the third quarter on.

And so it was: Taking a cue from their incomparable leader – serenaded by “MVP” shouts as he left the floor with 90 seconds left — the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo had their most enjoyable moment since winning the 2021 NBA Finals.

People flock to Vegas hoping to see their luck change, and mission accomplished with the Bucks. They wake up this morning with third place in the East within reach – assuming they don’t suffer too much of a hangover from their weekend trip.

Here are five takeaways from the Bucks’ defense-driven victory to become the second NBA Cup winner.

1. No rumble from Thunder

It might not be a stretch to suggest the Bucks played the best defensive game of anyone this young season, if you apply some context.

First: OKC had scored less than 100 points just once this season.

Second: OKC was on pace to average nearly 125 points in December.

Third: Its star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, came to Vegas as the league’s third-leading scorer at 30.3 points per game. match.

None of that mattered.

OKC couldn’t buy a 3-pointer, going 27 of 32 from deep. When the Thunder attempted from closer range, Antetokounmpo and the swarming Bucks’ defense — which has a significant size advantage — awaited them.

OKC had season lows in points, field goal percentage, 3-pointers made and assists and lost for just the second time since Nov. 19.

The Thunder brought it no. 1-rated defense entering this contest, only to be outplayed by the Bucks.

“One of the guys said all they heard about was the other team’s defense, and I think that bothered the guys,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “They were very keen to try and keep them to a low number.”

The perfect moment was in the third quarter when Giannis went to the floor for a loose ball and sacrificed his body for a single possession while leading comfortably. But that’s how the Bucks got energized while holding OKC to 31 points in the second half.

“We didn’t leave each other out to dry,” Bucks guard Damian Lillard said. “We helped. Our spacing was good. We attacked when we needed to attack. During the season we had interruptions, but we kept our focus tonight.”

2. Antetokounmpo, Lillard get it done

The grand experiment was anything but successful last season, their first as a duo, and it was suspiciously ineffective to start this season.

And so the question hung in the air like a fog heading into November: Can a pair of A-stars co-exist, and quickly, before it was too late?

There’s an update on the progress, courtesy of the Cup: Things are progressing nicely.

Their chemistry is sharper. Antetokounmpo, the tournament MVP, had a 26-point triple-double and Lillard scored 23 points while making half of his 10 shots from deep. They flowed together. The trust factor is deeper and richer between them.

“I think it’s one of those things where people wanted to put me with Giannis and think it would just be perfect right away because we’ve both been high-level players,” Lillard said. “But I come from a situation where I’ve always had the ball and he’s had a decade of having the ball and playing a certain way. It just took time.

“I see the luxury of having him as a teammate, and he sees the luxury of having me as a teammate. And then in a game like tonight, where the stakes are high, that trust has been developed.”

3. Gilgeous-Alexander mostly silent

It was a humbling night for a Kia NBA MVP contender. Gilgeous-Alexander never hurt the Bucks, never got into a rhythm, never made the game a contest between him and Antetokounmpo.

One of them stood out, the other was mild.

Not many teams can handcuff one of the game’s smartest scorers, and yet Gilgeous-Alexander needed 24 shots to score 21 points. It was his first time under 25 points in 15 games.

“I got to my spots, I just didn’t do anything,” he said. “Nights like that happen.”

The Bucks’ plan was to throw bodies Shai’s way and force him to take tough shots. Maybe in a few months, when Chet Holmgren returns from injury to give OKC an extra scorer, the Thunder will survive this type of game.

Not Tuesday.

4. Goats now belong

There is often a reflex reaction to big wins and the theorizing will automatically carry over to next week and beyond.

They’re often far-fetched and proven false, though this time one could bring a ring of truth — especially if you were among those who believed the Bucks, as contenders, were done two weeks into the season.

“The team that started the season is not the team you see now,” Lillard said. “We never were.”

Yes, there were circumstances as to why the Bucks quickly sank to the basement in the East, injuries among them. Yet this team looked sloppy and disjointed right out of the gate. It is undeniable.

And now, the impact of this Cup championship?

“It reminds us that we can beat anybody,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “We can also lose to anyone if we don’t play right. We learned that lesson early.”

And yet…

5. The future looks bright for the Bucks

There’s even better news for the Bucks — their upcoming schedule is weak, and Khris Middleton’s body is likely to get stronger.

“We have what it takes to compete with the best teams,” Antetokounmpo said. “We have to stay humble. The first 10 games we were the worst defensive team in the NBA and now we’re top 10. We’re getting better.”

Middleton sat out Tuesday with a non-COVID illness and has played just four games since offseason ankle surgery. His minutes restriction should be lifted by New Year’s Day if he stays on schedule.

While he’s not the defender he once was, Middleton can still get buckets, which will save a team that leans on Antetokounmpo and Lillard for shots.

Coming back from his latest issue, he’s not exactly being thrown into the fire. After facing the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV), the Bucks play the next nine games against sub-.500 teams. The Bucks celebrated these teams turning their season around and their most impressive win before Tuesday against the Houston Rockets (by one point) on November 18th.

That said: unlike winning the June championship, the December title provides a brief reprieve.

“You get out of this and you get right back to the grind,” Rivers said.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can send him an email herefind his archive here and follow him on X.

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