NBA Cup: “Job is not done” for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo wants more than the NBA Cup title for the Milwaukee Bucks this season.

Coming off a huge performance with 26 points, 19 boards and 10 assists to offer the Milwaukee Bucks their first title in the NBA Cup, Giannis Antetokounmpo could not be more pleased by the face his team showed in las vegas tuesday.

“I am so proud of this group. Man… I am so proud of this group…”, said the 2-time MVP right after the game. “Coming out of half time, we knew we had 24 minutes to go. We came out and in the third quarter we set the tone, we played great team basketball moving the ball. Guys were making shots but more importantly, we competed defensively as OKC only scored 14 points (in the period). That’s who we are. That’s who we’ll continue to be.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo in the cup final:

26 PTS
19 REB
10 AST
2 STL
3 BLK
52.6 FG%

One of the best and dominant performances we have seen this year

Very much leading the MVP race pic.twitter.com/wwAFvOwFVi
— Crumbletakes (@Crumbletakes) December 18, 2024

And while Giannis Antetokounmpo was highlighting the defensive effort, Damian Lillard chose to praise the Bucks’ unity in such a big event, especially after the rough start the franchise encountered (2 wins in first 10 games this season). “We just had to come together. There has been a lot of criticism. People talking about the team that we were not, but we knew who we were coming out of the training camp. We just had to trust each other, look within, and come up together. And when you continue to fight and stay together, you can experience this type of things (winning the NBA Cup) […].”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: “I struggled from my spots”

The feeling was quite different within the Thunder squad. Asked about Milwaukee’s tenacious defense, Jalen Williams (18 points on 8 of 20 tuesday), “disappointed” by the brutal loss (81-97), hardly recognized his opponents efforts in this sector in postgame press conference. “They’re big, so that’s their advantage. I think we got good looks but it was one of those nights. Sometimes it doesn’t go in […]. We probably could have gotten better shots, myself included.”

His teammate in the backcourt and superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (21 points on 8 of 24) also blamed fatality for the Thunder’s shooting slump (81 points on 34% overall shooting). “We did not shot well tonight. But that’s not an excuse.” Asked about his performance and what Milwaukee did to slow him, the 2-time All-Star added. “I feel like I got enough touches. I shot 24 times. Ball did not go in as much as I wanted. But I had enough touches […]. Andre Jackson Jr did a good job but I don’t think he is the reason for my type of night. I struggled from my spots, I didn’t make anything. But nights like that happen.”

And if Shai did not really praise the Bucks’ defense, he could not help sharing his thoughts on Giannis’ great performance. “We don’t play them a whole lot being in the west. From the outside looking in, seems like he works hard. And like you say, he’s been playing at a very high level for a very long time. You don’t get that without hard work.”

Proud but not replete, Milwaukee’s 2021 Finals MVP was already looking ahead, sending a clear message towards the league and his teammates. “Job is not done, we have a lot of basketball in front of us.”