Bucks-Thunder: Key Insights from the Emirates NBA Cup Championship

LAS VEGAS — The Milwaukee Bucks experienced a remarkable turnaround in their season here in Las Vegas. Considering how poorly it started, the odds of this happening seemed slim.

Of the Bucks lifting themselves off the mat and capturing the Emirates NBA Cup?

Not only did the Bucks use the championship game to certifiably recover from a 2-8 start, not only did they defeat the current Western Conference leader 97-81, but their victory 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 chants when 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 in hope of seeing their luck change, and mission accomplished with the Bucks. They awaken this morning with third place in the East well within their reach — assuming they don’t suffer much from a hangover after their weekend trip.

Here are five takeaways from the Bucks’ defense-fueled win to become the second winner of the NBA Cup.

1. No rumble from the 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 only once this season.

Second: OKC was on a roll, averaging nearly 125 points in December.

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

of it mattered.

OKC couldn’t buy a 3-pointer, missing 27 of 32 from deep. And when the Thunder tried from closer range, Giannis and a swarming Bucks’ defense with a significant size advantage awaited them.

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

The Thunder that brought the No. 1-rated defense into this contest, only to be shown up by the Bucks.

“One of the guys said all they heard about was the defense of the other team, and I think that bothered guys,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “They were very intent on trying to hold them to a low number.”

The perfect snapshot was in the third quarter, when Giannis went to the floor after a loose ball, sacrificing his body for a single possession while leading comfortably. But that was the manner in which the Bucks were 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. Over the season we had lapses, but we kept our focus tonight.”

2. Giannis and Dame getting it done

The grand experiment was anything but a success last season, their first as a duo, and 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-list stars coexist, and quickly, before it was too late?

There’s an update on the progress, courtesy of the Cup: Things are developing just fine.

Their chemistry is sharper. Giannis, 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 was just going to 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 him having the ball and playing a certain way. It just took time.

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

3. Shai mostly silent

It was a humbling night for a Kia NBA MVP contender. Shai never hurt the Bucks, never got into a rhythm, never turned the game into a contest within the contest between him and Giannis.

One of them clearly 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 make anything,” he said. “Nights like that happen.”

The Bucks’ blueprint was to throw bodies in Shai’s path 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. Bucks now belong

There’s often a reflex reaction to big wins and theorizing it will automatically carry over into next week and beyond.

Those are often far-fetched and proven false, although this time one could bring a ring of truth — especially if you were among the believers that the Bucks, as contenders, were finished two weeks into the season.

“The team that started the season isn’t the team you see now,” Lillard said. “We never were.”

Yes, there were circumstances for why the Bucks quickly sank to the basement in the East, injuries among them. Still, this team did look sloppy and disjointed right out the gate. That 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 anybody if we don’t play right. We learned that lesson early.”

And yet …

5. Future looks favorable for Bucks

There’s even better news for the Bucks — their upcoming schedule is weak and Khris Middleton’s body will likely 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 Tuesday with a non-COVID illness; he has played only four games since off-season ankle surgery. His minutes restriction should be lifted before 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 rescue a team that leans on Giannis and Lillard for shots.

And when he returns from his latest issue, he won’t exactly get thrown to the fire. After facing the Cavaliers on Friday, the Bucks play the next nine games against sub-.500 teams. The Bucks feasted on those teams to change their season; their most impressive victory before Tuesday was over the Rockets (by one point).

That said: Unlike winning the June championship, the December title provides just a momentary reprieve.

“You come 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 e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

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