Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 26 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and dished 10 assists to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA title with a 97-81 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder yesterday (Philippine time).

Milwaukee became the second winner of the Cup, following the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship in the inaugural tournament last season.

Damian Lillard added 23 points for the Bucks.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points but shot just 8-for-24 from the field, including 2-of-9 from three-point range. Jalen Williams added 18 points on 8-of-20 shooting, while Isaiah Hartenstein added 16.

Lillard gave the Bucks an 11-point lead by draining one of his signature long-range three-pointers with 9:08 remaining in the third quarter. The bucket came directly following back-to-back technical fouls on Thunder forward Luguentz Dort and coach Mike Daigneault, leading to two free throws that Lillard sank.

Milwaukee carried a 77-64 lead into the fourth period.

Antetokounmpo scored 14 points in the first half and Lillard chipped in 12 as Milwaukee led 51-50 at the break. Hartenstein paced the Thunder with 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the half, despite earning a technical foul after a dust-up with Bucks guard Andre Jackson, Jr.

The Thunder opened the game on a 16-9 run, forcing the Bucks to call timeout after four 1/2 minutes. Oklahoma City held a 28-27 advantage going into the second, in part because of a go-ahead three-pointer by Gilgeous-Alexander with 1:22 left in the quarter.

Milwaukee made 34 of its 81 attempts (42 percent) from the field for the game, shooting 17-of-40 (42.5 percent) from three-point range. The Bucks outrebounded Oklahoma City, 52-43, and led by as many as 20 points in the second half.

The Thunder shot 29-of-86 (33.7 percent) from the field, making only 5-of-32 attempts (15.6 percent) from long distance. (Field Level Media / Reuters)