Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and grabbed 14 rebounds Saturday to lead Milwaukee to the finals of the contest with a 110-102 victory over Atlanta. In the other semifinal Oklahoma City defeated Houston.
The Greek big man also added 9 assists, 4 blocks and a steal, shooting 10 of 15 from the field and 12 of 18 from the free throw line.
Milwaukee will play for the title on Tuesday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who got the better of the Houston Rockets.
“We stopped them. That was the most important thing,” Antetokounmpo said. “They felt comfortable, they scored their points. We managed to limit their attack.”
“We moved the ball, played team basketball, got to our points, hit some late shots. That’s why we were able to win.”
The Bucks got 25 points from Damian Lillard and 16 from Brook Lopez, while Trae Young led Atlanta with 35 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds.
The Bucks, who reached the tournament’s inaugural semifinals undefeated last year before losing to Indiana, were the only team to return to the final four this year.
“The work is not done yet”
The boys were inspired by the Greek leader and his hunger after coming close to the Cup last year: “Enjoy the game, take one possession at a time and win the game. That’s all,” Antetokounmpo said to his teammates. “If we are competitive, we will win the game.”
After a 2-8 start to the season, the Bucks improved to 12-3. “We trust each other. We play together. There is no more hero ball”Antetokounmpo said. “At the beginning of the season we tried to do everything alone. This had a negative effect on the team. We realized that we have to compete as a team, move the ball as a team, compete together.”
“We have changed our season, but we must continue to do so. The work is not finished yet. We must continue to play together and hope to improve.”
The ending
Two Jalen Johnson dunks late in the third quarter gave the Hawks an 83-82 lead entering the fourth. Young scored 14 points in the third quarter and Lillard scored 11. The game remained on the razor’s edge.
The game remained close until the final minutes, but Antetokounmpo scored six points in a 7-1 Bucks run for a 103-96 lead with 3:13 left.
Young responded with two free throws and a jumper, but Brook Lopez scored to give Milwaukee a 105-100 lead and Lillard sank a floater from the free throw line for a 107-100 lead with 23 seconds left.
The Bucks shot free throws to secure the victory. Antetokounmpo hit two layups on a fast break in a 7-0 Bucks run to start the game, but the Hawks responded with the next seven points into a 21-9 lead.
The Bucks started the second quarter on a 12-0 run for a 38-28 lead and led 55-49 at halftime.
Lillard scored 10 points in the second quarter, while Antetokounmpo had 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the first half and Young had 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Hawks in the first half.
The second semi-final
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Houston Rockets 111-96 led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 32 points including 14 from the free throw line.
Gilgeous-Alexander, one of the NBA’s emerging stars, will have a chance to fight for his first title: “We followed our principles,” he said “We made a great defensive effort and we knew that would be the key to winning the gameI wanted to be aggressive, I missed some shots that I should have scored,” he continued.
“We played aggressively, I’m the leader and I have to lead the way. Our defense will be key against Milwaukee,” he added.
This semifinal pitted the two best defenses in the Western Conference against each other and this was reflected in the first quarter where both teams combined for 38 points, making 4 of 22 long-range attempts.
Baskets by Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams gave the Thunder a 13-point lead with 6:01 left, setting the stage for their biggest win of the season.
The Rockets won the rebounding battle (64-55), but barely shot 37% efficiency versus Oklahoma City’s 45%.
Fred VanVleet, one of the Rockets’ key players, had a night to forget from distance, missing 10 of his 11 attempts.