The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday to put themselves in the NBA Cup Finals on Tuesday night against one of the best young teams in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In the eyes of many, the Bucks were underdogs coming into the game against the Thunder, who are the number one team in the stacked Western Conference.
The Thunder have the NBA's best defensive rating in the NBA, allow the fewest amount of points per game and force the most turnovers in the NBA. The Bucks had a tall task ahead of them, but nothing is impossible when you have Darvin Ham. Jokes aside, let's grade each of the individual performances from the Milwaukee Bucks players from the NBA Cup Championship.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: A+
A triple-double against the best team in the NBA should put Giannis Antetokounmpo at the top of the MVP ladder. Giannis was absolutely all over the stat sheet; he scored 26 points, had 19 rebounds and also tallied 10 assists, two steals and three blocks.
Of Giannis Antetokounmpo's 26 points, six were on free throws, meaning Giannis scored 20 of his points from the field, and 18 of the 20 came in the paint! Nobody from the Oklahoma City Thunder could compete with Giannis' strength, speed, size and savvy. When he did recognize that he wasn't in a good place to score, he set up his teammates well. Giannis Antetokounmpo was nearly flawless.
Damian Lillard: A
Damian Lillard was very efficient, finishing shooting 6-for-12 from the field, mainly by him going 5-for-10 from the 3-point line. It took him just those 12 shots and six free throws to score 23 points in addition to four rebounds and four assists. As previously mentioned, the Thunder are the best defensive team in the NBA, so Lillard having an efficient night against them is encouraging.
Damian Lillard had four turnovers as well, which keeps him from earning an A+, but he also finished a team-high +15. Overall, it was a strong night.
Brook Lopez: B+
Brook Lopez has had a pretty inconsistent season overall, at least offensively. Tuesday's NBA Cup Championship was no different. Lopez finished with 13 points on 5-for-12 shooting. This certainly wasn't his most efficient night, but what was good about his performance was him being 3-for-6 from the 3-point line. That is one of the most important things to this Milwaukee Bucks team because it helps space the floor for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the other stars.
The other big part of Lopez's night was adding nine rebounds, his second-highest mark this season.
Andre Jackson Jr.: B
Andre Jackson Jr. had a night to forget offensively, going 1-for-6 from the field, including 0-for-4 from the 3-point line. However, he had a very strong part in defending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and forcing him into a bad game compared to his normal numbers.
The Milwaukee Bucks held Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 8-of-24 shooting, including 2-of-9 from the 3-point line for a total of just 21 points (he averages 30.3 points per game), four rebounds (he averages 5.5 rebounds) and just two assists (he averages 6.3). These numbers can't be solely attributed to Andre Jackson Jr., but he was the main defender on Gilgeous-Alexander for the minutes they were on the floor at the same time.
Taurean Prince: C
Taurean Prince didn't have his A-game, clearly, shooting just 2-for-6 from the field. The redeeming quality of his performance included being 2-for-5 from the 3-point line (40 percent). Taurean Prince still leads the NBA in 3-point percentage for players who have attempted more than 30 3-point shots this season.
He scored just six points and added two rebounds and two assists, finishing with a +10. Also, if you haven't heard, Prince has never lost an NBA Cup game, going a perfect 14-0 over the last two years.
Bobby Portis: D
Bobby Portis is at his best for the Milwaukee Bucks when he is scoring efficiently. He had a two-game stretch last week against the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic, where he was absolutely fantastic and cooled off some trade talks. However, against the Thunder, Bobby Portis forced some shots he didn't need to take and finished 2-for-9 from the field (1-for-3 from the 3-point line).
Portis did grab nine rebounds and have three assists, but also three turnovers, including an offensive foul that went as flagrant and gave the Thunder two free throws and the ball with a chance to cut into the Bucks' 17-point lead with still 8:23 left in the game.
AJ Green: B
AJ Green did a great job shooting the ball; he made 3-of-5 shots, all 3-pointers, to finish with nine points. Green is currently seventh in 3-point percentage among players who have taken more than 30 3-pointers, so he's clearly doing great behind the arc.
He also played tough defense. He did get baited into a foul on a smart pump fake by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but that can happen to anybody. What's keeping AJ Green's grade down is one rebound, one steal and two assists to three turnovers. The Milwaukee Bucks need AJ Green to be just a little bit sharper in his play outside his shooting; if he does that, he's a massive asset to the team.
Gary Trent Jr.: B
Gary Trent Jr. did a good job on both sides of the ball. He finished 5-for-9 from the field, including 3-for-6 from the 3-point line, where he continues to improve since his move to a bench role. The wing finished with 13 points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal. Trent was solid for the Bucks on Tuesday night. His five points early in the fourth quarter helped the Bucks extend their lead with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the bench.
Overall, it was a fine solid outing for him.
Other reserves: Incomplete
Pat Connaughton registered just over 12 minutes of playing time, essentially just cardio as he took only one shot late in the shot clock and had one assist and a foul.
As for AJ Johnson, Tyler Smith, MarJon Beauchamp and Chris Livingston, they played 1:37 seconds and were out there to basically just get the clock to all zeroes, so we didn't learn anything about them from their involvement.
All in all, the Milwaukee Bucks as a team get an A for beating the best defensive team in the NBA, one of the best young teams in the league, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and allowing them to score just 81 points, including only 31 points in the entire second half.
It's good to see the team getting to lift a trophy and enjoy a moment of celebration before they get back to work Friday night against the Cavaliers. Hopefully, this isn't the last trophy the Bucks hold up this season.