The Milwaukee Bucks won the Emirates NBA Cup on Tuesday after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81. With a 7-0 record, the Bucks won the In-Season Tournament, and each of their players received a $500k cash prize.
Their victory came from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had an all-around game of 23 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, three blocks and two steals. All-Star guard Damian Lillard had 23 points, four rebounds and four assists.
After the game, Bobby Portis Jr. discussed how their NBA Cup team differed from the Los Angeles Lakers, the tournament’s first winners.
“We’re not Hollywood,” he told The Athletic when asked about the Lakers comparison. “We have hard-working guys (who are) selfless and who give themselves up for the betterment of the team. It’s not about the points you score. It’s all about winning, being connected. Our group is different from their group. We’re just different in that regard of selfless guys that give themselves up. You can’t really compare the two teams — not at all.”
Bobby Portis on ‘selfless’ Bucks being different than 2023 NBA Cup champion Lakers: ‘We’re not Hollywood’ https://t.co/a6mhYwZKTV
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 18, 2024
During their run, the Lakers upset Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers. Like the Bucks, Los Angeles had a perfect record to capture the first-ever NBA Cup.
Milwaukee Bucks star on his motivation to win the NBA Cup
Giannis Antetokounmpo, a star for the Milwaukee Bucks, claims that a two-way player inspired him to help his club win the 2024 NBA Cup. After winning the championship, the Greek Freak spoke about it on his postgame press conference.
“Some of my teammates get life-changing money, they are able to have this joke within the team about a two-way guy, Liam [Robbins], that I promised him in the first Cup game,” Giannis said. “I promised, ‘We’re gonna go away, we’re gonna get you a house in Iowa.’ So, after that game, I said, ‘Hey, one step close to your house in Iowa.’ After the game, we were in the locker room and I saw smiles on their faces.”
“For me, as I was sitting there, the money does not matter to me… But I understand that this is life-changing money people. I’m happy that we’re able to give that to a lot of our players within the team.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo talks about how he promised #Bucks rookie Liam Robbins that Milwaukee would try to win the #EmiratesNBACup so Liam can buy a house in Iowa @FanDuel pic.twitter.com/UBZcHRoESQ
— Rob Lopez (@r0bato) December 18, 2024
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
