After coming up short in last season’s NBA Cup semifinals, the Milwaukee Bucks got over the hump on Saturday and advanced to the final after a 110-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
The win for Milwaukee improved its record to 14-11 and continues its red-hot stretch as of late.
The Bucks held an Atlanta team that is eighth in the NBA in points per game (116.7) to just 102 points and just 42.7% from the field.
Milwaukee struggled from three-point range (14-of-45, 31.1%) but was able to capitalize off 13 Atlanta turnovers.
Milwaukee has won three straight games, and the pairing of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo look like the best duo in the NBA.
Antetokounmpo was excellent, finishing just an assist shy of a triple-double. Antetokounmpo had 32 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists. He remains the NBA’s leader in points per game (32.7).
Lillard, much like Antetokounmpo, was outstanding. He finished with 25 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Brook Lopez had one of his best games of the season, scoring 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field.
For Atlanta, Trae Young continued to shine, as he finished with 35 points and 10 assists. Young is the NBA’s leader in assists per game (12.2), which is almost three full assists more than second-place Nikola Jokic’s 9.8 per game.
Jalen Johnson (15 points, 10 rebounds) and De’Andre Hunter (15 points) were the two other highest scorers for Atlanta.
Milwaukee awaits the winner of the Houston-Oklahoma City game. The Bucks have played the Rockets once already this season, defeating Houston 101-100 on Nov. 18.
The NBA Cup Final will be Dec. 17 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
