2024 NBA Cup championship game
 Promotional material for the championship game | |||||||||||||||||||
| Event | 2024 NBA Cup | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 17, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Venue | T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Thunder by 4.5 points | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referees | Josh Tiven Karl Lane Justin Van Duyne | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 18,519 | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2024 NBA Cup championship game was the final game of the second season of the NBA Cup. The game was played on December 17, 2024, in the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The game was contested by the Milwaukee Bucks of the Eastern Conference and the Oklahoma City Thunder of the Western Conference. Unlike other games, this game does not count towards the regular-season standings, nor affect the regular-season performances of the players.
The Bucks won the championship game by defeating the Thunder 97–81. Giannis Antetokounmpo contributed a triple-double of 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists in the final, and was subsequently named the NBA Cup MVP.[1]
Participants
[edit]Milwaukee Bucks
[edit]The Bucks advanced to the knockout round as the winners of East group B with a 4–0 group record. They defeated the Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, and Detroit Pistons.[2] In the knockout round, they defeated the Orlando Magic in the quarterfinals and the Atlanta Hawks in the semifinals. Before heading into the championship game, the Bucks were the 5th-placed team in the Eastern Conference with a 14–11 record.
The Bucks played in their second straight NBA Cup semifinal, becoming the first team to feature in two final fours.
Oklahoma City Thunder
[edit]The Thunder advanced to the knockout round as the winners of West group B with a 3–1 group record. In the group stage, they defeated the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, and Los Angeles Lakers, and lost to the San Antonio Spurs.[3] In the knockout round, they eliminated the Dallas Mavericks in the quarterfinals and the Houston Rockets in the semifinals. Before heading into the championship game, the Thunder were the 1st-placed team in the Western Conference with a 20–5 record in the regular season.
Road to the championship game
[edit]| Milwaukee Bucks (Eastern Conference) | Round | Oklahoma City Thunder (Western Conference) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| East group B
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Group stage | West group B
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| Defeated the Orlando Magic, 114–109 | Quarterfinals | Defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 118–104 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 110–102 | Semifinals | Defeated the Houston Rockets, 111–96 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Game summary
[edit]The Bucks missed Khris Middleton due to illness, which was announced 90 minutes before tipoff.[4] The Thunder struggled with shooting throughout the game, going 5-of-32 from long-range, setting season lows in both field goal and three-point percentage.[5] The game was close at halftime, with the Bucks leading 51-50, but the Bucks pulled away in the third quarter, holding the Thunder to just 14 points in the period. The Bucks led by as many as 20 points, before closing out the game with a 16-point victory, 97 to 81. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks in points, rebounds, and assists, as he finished with a triple-double of 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists.[6]
December 17
8:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. Pacific) |
| Milwaukee Bucks 97, Oklahoma City Thunder 81 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–28, 24–22, 26–14, 20–17 | ||
| Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 26 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 19 Asts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 10 |
Pts: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 21 Rebs: Isaiah Hartenstein 12 Asts: Jalen Williams 3 | |
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Aftermath
[edit]The Bucks won their first NBA Cup title, and Giannis Antetokounmpo was unanimously given the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the tournament.[8] Antetokounmpo followed LeBron James as the second winner of the award. Taurean Prince, who won the 2023 title with the Los Angeles Lakers, became the first player to win multiple NBA Cups.[9] Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham won his second title as well, having won the title as head coach of the Lakers in the previous season.[10] Each player on the Bucks roster received $514,971 in price money, while Thunder players received $205,988 each.[6]
Rosters
[edit]Milwaukee Bucks
[edit]| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Oklahoma City Thunder
[edit]| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Media
[edit]This game was broadcast for the second and final year of its deal on ABC (including local stations WISN-TV in Milwaukee and KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City), before moving to Prime Video in 2025.[11]
This game was also streamed for the first time on ESPN+ as part of a modified rearrangement that saw the platform simulcasting more events from ABC since August 2024.
References
[edit]- ^ Aschburner, Steve (December 17, 2024). "Giannis Antetokounmpo adds to stellar resume with Emirates NBA Cup MVP". NBA.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ "Bucks advance in NBA Cup as Antetokounmpo and Lillard key 128-107 win over Pistons". ESPN.com. December 3, 2024. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ "Thunder beat Jazz 133-106 and advance to the NBA Cup quarterfinals". ESPN.com. December 3, 2024. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ "Illness forces Bucks' Middleton to miss Cup final". ESPN.com. December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Thunder go cold, will 'learn' from NBA Cup loss". ESPN.com. December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Milwaukee Bucks vs Oklahoma City Thunder Dec 17, 2024 Game Summary". www.nba.com. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Milwaukee Bucks vs Oklahoma City Thunder Dec 17, 2024 Game Summary". NBA.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ "Giannis Antetokounmpo adds to stellar resume with Emirates NBA Cup MVP". NBA.com. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Taurean Prince makes NBA history with back-to-back titles". MARCA. December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Bucks Assistant Darvin Ham Won Second Straight NBA Cup And Fans Had Plenty of Jokes". SI. December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ Rajan, Ronce (December 17, 2024). "ESPN NBA Full Court Press: ESPN Presents the Emirates NBA Cup 2024 Championship on Tuesday with a Matchup Between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Oklahoma City Thunder on ABC and ESPN+". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved December 18, 2024.