Milwaukee becomes 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 3-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 3-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 to 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. Neither team was able to extend the lead to more than five points in the second quarter as the Bucks outscored the Thunder 24-22.
The Thunder opened the game on a 16-9 run, forcing the Bucks to call timeout after 4 1/2 minutes. Lillard promptly answered, scoring seven of Milwaukee’s point Bucks as they went on a 13-4 run to take their first lead with 3:26 remaining in the first quarter.
Oklahoma City held a 28-27 advantage going into the second, in part because of a go-ahead 3-pointer by Gilgeous-Alexander with 1:22 left in the quarter.
Milwaukee made 34 of its 81 attempts from the field for the game, shooting 17 of 40 from 3-point range. The Bucks outrebounded Oklahoma City 52-43 and led by as many 20 points in the second half.
The Thunder shot 29 of 86 from the field, making only 5 of 32 attempts from long distance.
Will Despart, Field Level Media
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