Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) goes up to shoot against Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) and guard Dyson Daniels, second from left, during the second half of a semifinal game in the NBA Cup basketball tournament Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)
LAS VEGAS — 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.
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Brook Lopez scored 16 for Milwaukee.
READ: NBA Cup: Bucks beat Magic, return to NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas
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.
Takeaways
Hawks: Young drew 11 fouls in the game, a season-high. He drew 10 fouls in two other games this season; the Hawks won both of those. Since Young joined the NBA, he’s drawn at least 10 fouls in a game 52 times. Every other Hawk, combined, in that span has done it once.
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Bucks: Antetokounmpo was brilliant, shooting 10 of 15 from the field and 12 of 18 from the foul line. And Bobby Portis provided his usual boost off the bench with 10 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes.
READ: Bucks’ Khris Middleton makes his NBA season debut vs Celtics
Key moment
Antetokounmpo blocked an alley-oop dunk try by Capela at the rim with 2:35 left, preserving what was a five-point Bucks lead.
Key stat
Going back to last season, including playoffs, Milwaukee had lost 20 consecutive games when trailing entering the fourth quarter. The Bucks trailed 83-82 going into the fourth on Saturday.
Up next
The Bucks will play either the Thunder or Rockets in Tuesday’s championship game before returning to regular season play on Friday at the Cavaliers. The Hawks return to regular season play Thursday at the Spurs.
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