It’s finally over. The Milwaukee Bucks won the second in-season tournament, the NBA Cup, when they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in Las Vegas.
Even if it was only one game, the box score still had several aberrations. Most of those, of course, came from the losing squad.
One More Rebound
Giannis Antetokounmpo almost had a 20-20-10 game. For those who don’t know, that’s when a player gets 20 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists. He lost that chance when he ended up with 19 rebounds. In the end, he still had 26 points, dished out 10 assists, and grabbed the win.
Giannis on his belief in turning things around when things were bad: “I really do believe in myself. I do. I really do believe in my work that I put in. I believe in my mindset. I believe everything about myself. I really do.
Good or bad. Win or lose, play well, play bad, I don’t… pic.twitter.com/gcWxUmi5FW— 🦌💫 (@GiannisWorld) December 17, 2024
Three-Pointers: 4 Plus 1
There was no luck in the desert as the Thunder’s long-range shooting deserted them in Nevada. Records will show that they hit five three-pointers in 32 attempts, but in reality, it was a 4-for-31 effort. With 18 seconds left in the game, Kenrich Williams hit a meaningless 27-foot three-pointer.
81
When the Thunder play, they typically score at least 100 points. (They once scored 99 but they ended up winning that game anyway.) That’s why it was unusual to see them struggle from the field, tallying just 81 points against the Bucks. Any chance of winning the NBA Cup went out the window when they scored a lowly 14 points in the third quarter of the final contest.
Fading Star
Star player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder’s go-to man, should be the first player to blame for their defeat. He only made eight of 24 field goals, including four in the first quarter. It’s safe to say that Milwaukee’s plan of stopping the one guy who could easily score 30 a game worked.
Giannis has beaten SGA in their past 7 head-to-head matchups 👀 pic.twitter.com/bacyPcFQRF
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) December 17, 2024
Little Support
Basketball is a team game, so plenty of blame should be passed around when it comes to analyzing the Thunder’s loss. Luguentz Dort played 30 minutes but could only produce four points. Alex Caruso had two points in 24 minutes of playing time. Lastly, Chet Holmgren was out for the game.
Main Image Credit: Jimmy Do, OKC Thunder
