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The Milwaukee Bucks celebrate winning the Emirates Cup
The Milwaukee Bucks celebrate winning the Emirates Cup
The Milwaukee Bucks have turned their season around, for the moment, and they are showing the flashes of brilliance that was expected of them all along. In beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 on Tuesday night, the Emirates Cup is now in their possession.
The success came after reaching the semi-final game of the rebranded “In-Season Tournament” from last year, for the second consecutive time. In addition, the team is now 14-11 and holding second place in the Central Division. This comes after a dismal 2-8 start to the 2024-2025 season, meaning they have now won 12 of their last 15 games.
Unfortunately, the NBA Cup game has no bearing on the standings but serves notice something is definitely brewing in the Milwaukee basketball camp. They are also in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, and closing in on their rivals, the Orlando Magic, just two games ahead.
Out-of-the-Pocket
The Bucks’ win over the Thunder capitalized on forcing them to shoot out-of-the pocket, and from long distances, while both teams clogged the middle and inside passing lanes, for the first half. With a 51-50 lead, going into the third quarter, Milwaukee had a balanced scoring attack highlighted by hitting 17 of 40 three-pointers, beyond the arc.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists for a triple-double and walking off with the MVP honors. Damian Lillard crunched 23 points aided by five three-pointers. One can only guess what the team will be like when Khris Middleton is cleared to play and becomes the third wheel for the offense.
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Head coach Doc Rivers hatched a plan to give certain players more floor time in a move to jumpstart the scoring. For the cup final, Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez each piled up 37 minutes on the court, with Lillard getting 35 minutes, along with Andre Jackson Jr. (26) and Taurean Prince (21).
The bench proved to be a strong asset with Gary Trent Jr. getting 13 points in 21 minutes of play, Bobby Portis Jr. grabbing nine rebounds, and AJ Green picking up nine points, all on long distance shots in 21 minutes of court time.
The game was played in Las Vegas, and while wins only counted in tournament play, it presented the Bucks with some bonus money for their effort. A reported $514,971 went to each member of the Milwaukee team for finishing with the cup. A note to Giannis Antetokounmpo, no, Lillard did not get 45 points in this game.
Let the Trading Begin
December 15 is the unofficial kickoff date for trading to begin, with the closing bell coming on February 6. Marjon Beauchamp has already been served notice by Bucks management that his days with the team are numbered, refusing to pick up the option on the once-touted draft choice. He only played two minutes in Tuesday’s game.
Defense continues to be the primary concern, despite Antetokounmpo carrying the team through the recent winning surge. Age and injury are also factors with Middleton’s history of maladies, and if Antetokounmpo goes down, as witnessed last season, things will be rough.
They need youth in the line-up and could go after the Golden State Warriors’ Kyle Anderson to plug up the defense. Rumors are also circulating that Portis Jr. could be traded for players to move on and off the bench. Evidently, a trade was in place last year, which fell through. Portis Jr. has two years and $26 million remaining on his contract.
With a revitalized Bucks team, the next few weeks will tell the tale. Milwaukee plays at the Fiserv Forum against the Washington Wizards (Dec. 12), and the Brooklyn Nets (Dec. 26).
