Bucks win NBA Cup vs. Thunder: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard lead Milwaukee to tournament title

Antetokounmpo was named MVP after a triple-double, while the Thunder struggled to shoot all night

The Milwaukee Bucks are 2024 NBA Cup champions. The Bucks pulled away from the cold-shooting Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night for a 97-81 win in the tournament’s title game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Bucks star duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard led the way, combining for 49 points as Milwaukee capped off a perfect 7-0 run in NBA Cup play. Antetokounmpo, who had a triple-double in the championship game, was named the tournament’s MVP.

Bucks players earned the trophy and a lucrative payday with the win. Milwaukee players will all receive a bonus prize of $514,971 for winning the title. Thunder players, meanwhile, go home with $205,988 for their second-place finish as the league upped the NBA Cup prize money in 2024.

The Bucks led by one point at halftime and pulled away in the third quarter as they held the Thunder to just 14 points. The Thunder entered the championship matchup with the league’s best defense and eighth-rated offense, but they struggled to shoot all night. The Thunder hit only 15.6% of their 3-point attempts (5 of 32), and they managed just one triple on 17 attempts in the first half.

Antetokounmpo finished with a team-best 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists. Lillard added 23 points and his five 3-pointers were as many as the Thunder hit as a team. The Bucks have now won 11 of their last 13 games, though the NBA Cup title game does not count toward the regular-season standings.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 21 points but needed 24 field-goal attempts to get there. The Thunder’s 14-point third quarter was their lowest-scoring period of the season.

The Bucks join the Lakers as teams with NBA Cup championships after L.A. won the inaugural event in 2023. Taurean Prince, who had six points against OKC, kept his perfect NBA Cup record intact with Milwaukee’s win. The Bucks forward is now 14-0 in Cup play after going 7-0 with the Lakers in the in-season tournament last year. Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham, who was the Lakers head coach last season, also boasts an unbeaten NBA Cup mark.

All 30 NBA teams were part of the tournament’s group-stage round, which took place from Nov. 12-Dec. 3. Eight teams made the quarterfinals, and the NBA Cup shifted to Vegas for the semifinals on Saturday. The Bucks took down the Magic and Hawks in the knockout stage to reach the title game. The Thunder ousted the Mavericks and Rockets in the eight-team bracket.