Las Vegas, Dec 15
The Milwaukee Bucks secured a spot in the NBA Cup finals with a 110-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday (IST).
League’s top scorer Giannis Antetokounmpo was once again the main source of points for his side as he scored 32 points, registered 14 rebounds and ended the game one assist shy of a triple double.
"I think the conversation within the team is that nothing matters, only win. Stats don’t matter; it doesn’t add a win or a loss to our record. Nothing really matters. How many shots, if you go 0-15, if you go 15-15, it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters right here is to get a win, and that’s the message within our team right now, and everybody's got to stay locked in,” said Giannis in the postgame interview.
Giannis was supported by teammate Damian Lillard who scored 25 points. The Hawks had difficulty scoring against the Bucks, with only Trae Young having been efficient in shooting. The 26-year-old Guard scored 35 points whilst scoring an impressive 14-17 field goals at a 82.4 field goal percentage.
With the win, the Bucks finally got over the semi-final hurdle after having failed to make the final in the first edition of the tournament with a loss against the Indiana Pacers in the semi-finals.
“I think we probably looked a little sharper this time around. Last time, we were ready, but this time we came into it remembering our last experience. We came correct,” said Lillard.
The league has successfully increased viewership in the early parts of the season through the NBA Cup as players are given incentives to perform at a high level week in and week out. The tournament champions get 514,971 USD per player, and the runner-up receives 205,988 USD per player. Teams that lose in the semifinals get 102,994 USD per player, but Bucks head coach Doc Rivers remained adamant that the win meant more than money for his team.
“It’s funny — a lot of people say it’s the money and it’s not. It’s the competition. Now, the guys who aren’t playing, it’s the money. I’ve never been hugged more by our rookies in my life. They came in and they were celebrating like it was a big game,” added Rivers.