Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Atlanta Hawks 110-102 to advance to the NBA Cup finals.
The Bucks will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the finals on Tuesday (01:30 GMT, Wednesday) in Las Vegas after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also scored 32 goals in a 111-96 semifinal victory over the Houston Rockets.
Greek star Antetokounmpo, who currently leads the NBA’s scoring stats, added nine assists, four blocks and a steal.
The Bucks got 25 points from Damian Lillard and 16 from Brook Lopez, and Trae Young led Atlanta with 35 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
The victory gives the Bucks a chance to make up for their loss in the semifinals of last season’s inaugural intraseason tournament.
“We were able to disrupt their offense,” said Antetokounmpo, whose team started the season with two wins in its first 10 games but won 12 of the next 15.
“We moved the ball, played basketball as a team, got to our spots and made some long-range shots. That’s why we managed to win.
“We trust each other. We play together. There is no more hero football.”
Canadian defenseman Gilgeous-Alexander was a key figure as Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City put in a strong second-half performance against Houston.
In addition to points, he added eight rebounds, six assists and five steals to the win.
“I just wanted to play aggressive through all the ups and downs, ups and downs, and it paid off,” he said. “I hope we can do the same on Tuesday.
“If we play defense, we give ourselves a chance every night. We just have to play hard, play together and have fun.”
