With a perfect 7-0 record, the Milwaukee Bucks did not lose a single game throughout the entirety of their Emirates NBA Cup run en route to the title.
In the championship, the Bucks took on the OKC Thunder, one of the best teams in the West that has been putting teams through the wringer this season. The Thunder are certainly a formidable foe, but in this game, they were no match for Milwaukee. After overcoming a slow start, the Bucks dominated on both ends of the floor as they built up a 20-point lead at one point.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Bucks secured the title with a 97-81 victory, holding the Thunder to their lowest point total of the season by far. That said, let us analyze a few standout performances from this particular matchup in the form of some studs and duds.
Stud - Damian Lillard
As one of the team's top players, Damian Lillard knew he had to come out and set the tone, especially with Khris Middleton ruled out shortly before the game due to an illness. Middleton's absence added to Lillard's workload as both a scorer and facilitator, and the star guard embraced it by scoring a team-high seven points while dishing out three assists in the opening frame.
Lillard kept the ball rolling throughout the game, hitting timely shots and finding his teammates when he could not get a look himself. In the end, he finished with 23 points and four assists, knocking down five 3-pointers and six of his seven free throws. It wasn't the gaudiest stat line from Lillard, but he did exactly what he had to do, especially with his quick start, which certainly gave this team some life.
Stud - Giannis Antetokounmpo
Unsurprisingly, Giannis Antetokounmpo took home the MVP honors after yet another strong outing. There was plenty of discussion about the Greek Freak using his size to attack a smaller OKC squad, and he did just that by scoring 26 points, consistently getting to the rim and typically either getting fouled or adding another two points to his total.
The scoring was tremendous, but Antetokounmpo's fingerprints were all over this game elsewhere. With 19 boards and 10 assists to go along with his 26 points, Giannis had a triple-double. Again, his size was a major advantage on the glass, and it helped his passing as well, given that someone was usually open when the Thunder sent multiple defenders his way to try and slow him down.
Giannis now has yet another new trophy to add to his cabinet.
Stud - Gary Trent Jr.
With Khris Middleton out, someone would have to step up in the scoring department. Gary Trent Jr. answered the call off the bench, pouring in 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-6 from deep. A big portion of that production came in the final quarter, where Trent scored eight points as he held off the comeback-hungry OKC Thunder with a flurry of baskets.
Dud - Bobby Portis
It's been an up-and-down stretch for Bobby Portis. He's had some good games and some bad ones. This game could fall into the "bad" category, as it was far from his best effort. In about 19 minutes, Portis had just five points on 2-of-9 shooting. Not only was he not scoring efficiently, but he also had three turnovers and fouls apiece, including an unnecessary flagrant foul when OKC was making a run.
It wasn't all bad from Portis, as he did haul in nine rebounds and dish out three assists, but still, it was far from his best scoring performance, and he could have taken better care of the basketball. Let us hope this was just a bump in the road in what has been an overall solid stretch for the big man lately.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.