By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
In the second annual Emirates NBA Cup championship game, the Milwaukee Bucks routed the Oklahoma City Thunder, 97-81.
After the triumph in T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, Giannis Antetokounmpo was named Most Valuable Player of the in-season tournament.
The Freak netted 26 points with 10/19 from the field, all from inside the arc, and expanded to a triple-double with 19 rebounds and ten assists in Las Vegas.
“We have a lot of things we have to improve. We’re going to improve, and we’re going to stay locked in because the job’s not done,” said Giannis switching focus to the rest of the 2024-25 Regular Season and the ensuing Playoffs.
This game was the only fixture of the NBA Cup without implications in the Regular Season. Besides winning the in-season tournament and adding another MVP distinction to a long list of achievements, Antetokounmpo and all of his teammates got a bonus of 514,971 dollars apiece.
Dealing with right patella tendinopathy over several weeks, the international player with Greece lasted 36 minutes in the Final, adding three blocks and two steals to his tally.
On the wrong end, the Thunder players, including French Ousmane Dieng (right ring finger fracture), Serbian Nikola Topic (left knee surgery), and the remaining players on the injury list, received 205,988 dollars each.
German Isaiah Hartenstein, the starting center, posted a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double alongside two assists and one steal. Off the bench, Belgian Ajay Mitchell finished with five points, two assists, and two rebounds.