Rome, December 18 (LaPresse) – The Milwaukee Bucks won the second edition of the NBA Cup. In the finals, the Wisconsin franchise overcame with a score of 97-81 the Oklahoma City Thunder dragged by the triple-double of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists (elected Mvp) and by the excellent performance of Damian Lillard, who finished with 23 points and 5/10 from three. For the Thunder, who shot 33.7% from the field, star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't shine too much, finishing with 21 points but struggling to shoot without ever being decisive. For the Bucks, there is not only the cup. In fact, the Milwaukee players also took the rich prize money offered by the nba: each of them will earn an extra 500,000 dollars. The game was decided in the second half, after the scoreboard read +1 for the Bucks (51-50) at half-time. Crucially, Milwaukee accelerated in the third quarter when they raised their defensive intensity, with Oklahoma going no further than 14 points. Once the Bucks took command of the game, all they had to do was control and manage the lead in the last quarter without ever taking risks.