LAS VEGAS (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and was an assist away from a triple-double, Damian Lillard added 25 and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Atlanta Hawks 110-102 on Saturday to earn a spot in the NBA Cup championship game.
Antetokounmpo finished with 14 rebounds, nine assists and four blocks for the Bucks, who improved to 11-1 all-time in NBA Cup games — the only loss coming in last year’s semifinals.
Brook Lopez scored 16 for Milwaukee.
Trae Young had 35 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Hawks, who got 15 points and 10 rebounds from Jalen Johnson and 15 points from De’Andre Hunter.
THUNDER 111, ROCKETS 96
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 of his 32 points in the second half, and Oklahoma City pulled away to defeat Houston Rockets and advance to the NBA Cup championship.
The Thunder take a five-game winning streak into Tuesday night’s final against the Bucks. Milwaukee defeated the Atlanta Hawks 110-102 in the Eastern Conference semifinal. The title game does not count in the league standings.
Isaiah Hartenstein added 21 points for the Thunder, Jalen Williams scored 20 and Luguentz Dort finished with 19 points and nine rebounds.
Amen Thompson led Houston with 19 points, one of six Rockets in double figures, and Alperen Sengun had 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Rockets and Thunder have two of the three best records in the Western Conference, making Saturday’s second semifinal a potential playoff preview.
The Associated Press