The Milwaukee Bucks are NBA Cup champions after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 on Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Giannis Antetokounmpo's 26-point, 19-rebound and 10-assist triple double led the way. He also excelled defensively, adding three blocks and two steals. Damian Lillard added 23 points (5-of-10 from three).

Milwaukee led 51-50 at the half but took control in the third quarter, outscoring OKC 26-14. The Bucks started the third quarter with back-to-back threes en route to a 13-3 run, and Antetokounmpo scored 12 points in the frame.

The Thunder couldn't stop the Giannis-Lillard duo, but moreover, they couldn't make buckets to keep pace with them.

OKC shot just 33.7 percent from the field and 5-of-32 from three-point range. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 21 points but shot 8-of-24 from the field (2-of-9 from three).

Isaiah Hartenstein added a productive 16-point, 12-rebound double-double, and Jalen Williams scored 18 points (with three blocks and two steals).

Ultimately, this was an exceptional win (and NBA Cup run) for a team that started 1-6 (and 4-9) before turning its season around. Milwaukee is now 14-11 with the momentum of an NBA Cup title in hand, and now momentum is on its side as the 2024 calendar year draws to a close.

In the meantime, fans praised Antetokounmpo and Lillard for a job well done.

The Bucks have a couple days off before visiting the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday evening.