Bucks, Thunder book tickets to Vegas
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks edged the depleted but determined Orlando Magic 114-109 to reach the NBA Cup semifinals on Tuesday as Oklahoma City cruised past Dallas.
Antetokounmpo scored 37 points with seven rebounds and four blocked shots for the Bucks, who reached the semifinals of the in-season tournament for the second year in a row and will face either the New York Knicks or Atlanta Hawks for a place in the final.
Damian Lillard scored 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and handed out nine assists for the Bucks, who had all they could handle from Orlando despite the absence of injured top Magic stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
“We didn’t have the greatest experience [in the Cup semifinals] last year,” Lillard said. “So I think all of us are thinking [about] going back and finishing what we started last year and doing it right this time.”
Lillard threw down a dunk to put the Bucks up 108-107 with 32.6 seconds remaining, and after Orlando’s Jalen Suggs missed a three-pointer, Lillard drilled a pair of free-throws to push the Bucks’ lead to three points with 9.1 seconds left.
Antetokounmpo and Lillard each added a pair of free throws in the final seconds to seal the hard-fought victory.
“We fought for this one,” said Lillard.
In Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder turned the highly anticipated matchup of two of the league’s hottest teams into a rout, beating the Mavs 118-104 to end their seven-game winning streak.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points with eight rebounds and five assists. Jalen Williams added 18 points and center Isaiah Hartenstein added 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder, who made 20 of their whopping 50 three-point attempts.
