Dec. 18: Inside the Milwaukee Bucks’ Championship Run at the Emirates NBA Cup

Witness 67 games, 30 teams, and only 1 ultimate winner.

The Milwaukee Bucks are your 2024 Emirates NBA Cup champions.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION

Dec. 18, 2024

Bucks Beat Thunder: Milwaukee caps its historic turnaround by hoisting the Emirates NBA Cup

“We Win Together”: With their season sputtering, the Bucks’ chemistry clicked

Giannis’ Rise: The NBA Cup MVP joined elite company last night, but he’s still hungry

Capturing The Chase: 7 photos honoring Milwaukee’s 7-0 run to the Cup

NBA All-Star 2025: A fresh format, mini-tourney and thrilling twists for this season’s ASG

1. BUCKS TOP THUNDER IN EMIRATES NBA CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

On Nov. 10, the Bucks fell to 2-8 — their worst 10-game start in a decade. 

Now? They’re NBA history-makers and Emirates NBA Cup champions.

Bucks 97, Thunder 81: Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a monster triple-double (26 pts, 19 reb, 10 ast) while Damian Lillard added 23 points as the Bucks outscored the Thunder 46-31 in the 2nd half to win the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup championship in Las Vegas. | Recap

Giannis MVP: Antetokounmpo — a two-time Kia NBA MVP and the 2021 Finals MVP — was named the NBA Cup MVP, adding to his already decorated resume

Perfect: The Bucks, who entered the semifinals as the only remaining unbeaten team in Cup play, finished the in-season competition with a 7-0 record

History: Milwaukee (14-11) is the first team in NBA history to start 2-8 or worse through their first 10 games and then win 12 of their next 15

The Turning Point: After entering the break with a one-point lead, Milwaukee outscored OKC 26-14 in the 3rd quarter and used a 16-2 run between the 3rd and 4th to take a 20-point lead and slam the door shut.

Lockdown: OKC’s 14 points in the 3rd marked its lowest-scoring quarter in Cup play, and they were held to just 5-of-19 shooting (26.3%) while committing six turnovers

Giannis & Dame Time: Giannis took over in the 3rd, posting 12 points, 10 boards, three assists and a block, while combining with Lillard (8 pts) to single-handedly outscore OKC

The 3&D Difference: The Thunder are allowing a league-low 103.5 ppg, but it was the Bucks defense that shined on Tuesday, holding OKC to a season-low in points — including 5-for-32 (15.6%) from beyond the arc.

Owning The 3: It’s the Thunder’s lowest 3-point percentage in a game since March 2023, and they were outscored 51-15 from downtown, as the Bucks went 17-of-40 (42.5%) from long range 

Deer From Deep: Lillard led Milwaukee with five triples, while Brook Lopez, Gary Trent Jr., and AJ Green sank three apiece

Inside & Out: Giannis posted a game-high 18 points in the paint, and the Bucks won the rebounding battle 52-43

Lillard: “To be the last team standing in this tournament, it feels great.”

Get Up Close: For Milwaukee’s title celebration and Lillard telling Giannis not to drop the trophy

2. STRUGGLES TO STRENGTH: MILWAUKEE’S CUP CONNECTION

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Before taking the floor for Tuesday’s championship bout, Bucks coach Doc Rivers had a simple message for his team:

“Three words: we win together.”

Amid their 2-8 start, the Bucks had one game with 25+ assists. In their last 15 games, they’ve had 10. 

On Tuesday, 73.5% of Milwaukee’s 34 field goals were assisted — 14.8% higher than its season average (58.7%) as it recorded 25 dimes compared to OKC’s 13. 

While the NBA Cup championship doesn’t count toward regular-season statistics, the Bucks’ 73.5% assist rate would have been their season-high.

“We felt extremely connected out there,” said Damian Lillard postgame. “Having the tough start that we had, the only way out of it was us being together and doing it as a collective group…

“How connected we were tonight when the stakes were this high was going to be the most important thing, and I think we played that way.”

Milwaukee’s historic turnaround began with its NBA Cup Group Play opener, as it beat Toronto to improve to 3-8. The win sparked a 9-1 stretch that saw them finish Group Play at 4-0 with an NBA-best +50 point differential.

In the Knockout Rounds, the Bucks ousted two of the hottest teams in basketball — the Magic and Hawks — to reach the championship, where they handed the 20-5 Thunder, the top team in the West, their largest loss of the season.

“Outside Milwaukee, I think a lot of people said, ‘What’s going on?'” said Rivers on their slow start. “I don’t think one person inside thought that at all…

“We just believed that it was going to click, it was going to happen — I would make a point of saying we assumed that. Now it is.”

The Bucks closed the NBA Cup ranked first in net rating (11.9), second in defensive rating (101.3) and third in 3-point percentage (40.7%). But Milwaukee’s turnaround wasn’t just about numbers.

“We set the tone,” said Giannis postgame. “We played great team basketball … most importantly, we were competing defensively.  That’s who we are — that’s what we’re going to continue to be.”

3. HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO NBA HISTORY: GIANNIS’ RELENTLESS PURSUIT

Much like the Bucks’ start this season, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s NBA journey began with challenges.

When Giannis entered the league as an 18-year-old from Greece, he had only been playing basketball for five years. As a rookie, he averaged 6.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

His numbers increased in each of the next four seasons, marking the beginning of a meteoric rise into the NBA 75 — alongside his now-teammate Lillard — that has seen his game level up year after year.

In 2016-17, Giannis’ fourth season, he averaged 20+ ppg for the first time while being named an All-Star and the NBA’s Most Improved Player

In 2018-19, just two seasons after his first All-Star selection, he was named Kia NBA MVP

In 2019-20, he earned his second straight MVP while also being named Defensive Player of the Year

In 2020-21, he led the Bucks to their first championship in 50 years while being named Finals MVP

This season, he’s leading the NBA with a career-high 32.7 ppg while shooting 50% or better in all 23 games he’s played – the second-longest streak to open a season in NBA history

“That’s just who he is” said Damian Lillard on Giannis’ hunger to improve. “He’s a determined person and player. Just the background that he comes from — his journey to becoming the superstar that he is, is a tough one.”

Giannis hasn’t just pushed himself to new heights this season — he’s also powered his team’s turnaround. After a loss to the Knicks in early November, the two-time MVP called out his teammates, demanding more intensity:

“Are we okay with not competing? I’m not okay with that … We’ve got to compete every single possession. Every loose ball, we’ve got to get a body on the floor and put it on the line.”

Giannis’ challenge sparked a response. Twelve wins later, the Bucks have jumped from 14th in the East to fifth, highlighted by an Emirates NBA Cup title.

Twelve seasons later for Giannis, he’s gone from a rookie trying to find his way to standing with LeBron James as the only two players in NBA history with a Kia NBA MVP, a Finals MVP, an All-Star Game MVP and an Emirates NBA Cup MVP. 

But the Greek Freak isn’t focused on individual accolades — he’s hungry for more wins.

“We have what it takes to compete with the best teams. We have to stay humble. The last 15 games, we’ve been competing, playing team basketball, especially down the stretch…

“But there’s a level that we still haven’t tapped.”

4. CAPTURING THE BUCKS’ CHASE FOR THE CUP IN 7 PHOTOS

Everything about the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup popped — from the vibrant courts to the finale in Las Vegas.

In honor of the Bucks finishing 7-0, below are seven of our favorite frames from their title run.

Plus, test your Emirates NBA Cup knowledge with today’s NBA Play Trivia!

5. NBA UNVEILS NEW ALL-STAR GAME FORMAT FOR 2025

The 2025 NBA All-Star Game is just 60 days away. And it’s bringing a new twist, with the NBA and National Basketball Players Association announcing a reimagined format for the game, set to take place in San Francisco on Sunday, Feb. 16 (8 ET, TNT).

Four Teams: For the first time, the NBA All-Star Game will feature a mini-tournament with four teams of eight players

Three Games: There will be two semifinal matchups, with the winners moving on to the championship game

One Target Score: For each game, the winner will be the first team to reach or surpass 40 points

The 24 NBA All-Stars will be divided evenly into three teams, with the rosters drafted by TNT’s Inside the NBA commentators Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith, who will serve as honorary team GMs.

NBA All-Star Draft: The three analysts will make their respective picks for Team Charles, Team Shaq and Team Kenny live on TNT on Thursday, Feb. 6

The Fourth Squad? The winner of the Castrol Rising Stars Game (Feb. 14), with TNT analyst and WNBA legend Candace Parker leading the way as the honorary GM

The voting process to determine the 24 NBA All-Stars will remain the same:

Starters: The five players honored as starters in each conference will be selected by fans (50% of the vote), current NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%)

Reserves: The seven players honored as reserves in each conference will be selected by NBA head coaches

Coaches: As of Feb. 2, the head coach of the leading team in the East and West will each coach an All-Star team. One assistant from each team will coach the other two remaining squads

NBA All-Star Voting opens on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 10 am ET and concludes on Monday, Jan. 20 at 11:59 pm. ET, giving fans the chance to vote for the NBA All-Star Game starters via the NBA App and NBA.com with their NBA ID.