Milwaukee Bucks win the 2024 NBA Cup behind a dominant game by Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo finished the game with a triple double, 26-point, 19-rebound and 10-assist. Damian Lillard added 23 points with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Bucks Assistant coach Darvin Ham and forward Taurean Prince, are members of the Los Angeles Lakers last season when they won the inaugural NBA Cup.
Giannis Antetokounmpo also won the MVP for the NBA Cup.
It was great win for the Bucks specially after starting the season with a 2-8 record, since then the Bucks are 12 – 3. Milwaukee Bucks will have at least 2 full days of rest before facing the Cavs, the number 1 team in the league this Friday evening.
We now have the Final 4 teams for the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament, which will be held in Las Vegas this 7th of December.
FOUR TEAMS REMAIN… AND THEY ARE ALL HEADED TO VEGAS! 🏆
The NBA In-Season Tournament Knockout Rounds continue with the Semifinals on Thursday!
Be a part of NBA history! Get your tickets to the semifinals and championship games in Las Vegas this Thursday and Saturday, today.… pic.twitter.com/KQ56Kid5z9
For the West side, it will be between LA Lakers versus New Orleans Pelicans, then for the East Side, we have Indiana Pacers against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Finals
The two winners for games between; LA Lakers versus New Orleans Pelicans, and Indiana Pacers against the Milwaukee Bucks, will once again play for the NBA In-Season Tournament Championship, which the league is calling ‘The NBA Cup’. Games will also be in Las Vegas and will be on Dec. 9th.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has agreed on a three-year, $186 million contract extension with the team, announced on his social media accounts. The extension includes a player option for the 2027-2028 season. The deal will run through the duration of guard Damian Lillard’s contract and ends the possibility of him entering free agency in 2025. Bucks acquired Damian Lillard in a 3-team blockbuster trade this summer.
In a recent interview published on NY Times, Giannis said that we won’t sign any extension until he knows that the Bucks can continue to contend for a championship. This may have prompted the team to trade for Damian Lillard. Bucks as in a similar situation in 2020, where he signed a five-year, $228 million supermax extension, after the Bucks acquired Jrue Holiday from Pelicans. That same season, the Bucks became the NBA Champion, Giannis was named Finals MVP, after being awarded the regular season MVP and the Defensive Player of the Year award. Only two other player have ever won all 3 awards in the same season; Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon.
All-Star guard and NBA Champion Jrue Holiday has been traded to the Boston Celtics. The trade took place just less than a week after the Bucks sent Holiday to Portland that got them Daim Lillard.
In the trade, Portland TrailBlazers will receive Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, 2024 1st-round pick (via Warriors) and an 2029 unprotected 1st-round pick (via Celtics), while the Celtics will get Jrue Holiday.
The trade signals that the Blazers are indeed in rebuilding phase with a mix of youth and veteran, which will accelerate the development of the Blazer’s young core headed by Scoot Henderson, the third overall pick in this year’s draft.
Jrue Holiday on the Celtics will make the team a contender in the East, together with teh Bucks, he’e perfect with Brown and Tatum, since he is a two-way guard that can facilitate, create his own shot and can play off ball, and also his championship experience which will surely be a big help for the Boston Celtics in the Playoffs.
✅ NBA champion ✅ 2-time All-Star ✅ 5-time All-Defense selectee ✅ 3-time Teammate of the Year
Jrue Holiday’s addition should impact us on the court, off the court, and every which way.https://t.co/NBOEBvqSxK
After months of waiting, we finally know where “Former Blazer” is headed, since the Portland Trailblazer traded Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks, as part of a 3-team trade also involving Phoenix and Portland. Bucks already release an official statement regarding the trade.
The casuals won’t be addressed but the trailblazers fans and city of Portland that I love truly will be … and they will be addressed truthfully. Stay tuned
The trade will surely make Bucks the favorite to win it all this year and will give Giannis Antetokounmpo that much needed help in the Playoffs, it also give Deandre Ayton a new home after being unhappy with the Suns for the past couple of years. As for the Suns, it will give them the much needed body and supporting cast for Durant and Booker to contend in the West.
NBA just announced the 2023 NBA All-Star Starters for the NBA All-Star Game this 19th Feb. in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Lebron James, of the LA Lakers and the leading vote-getter, will be one of the team captain and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Eastern Conference voting leader, will be the team captain of the opposing team. This will be Lebron’s 19th All Star appearance and the 7th for Giannis.
Eastern Conference starters
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks/ Captain)
Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets)
Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets)
Western Conference starters
LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers/ Captain)
Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans)
Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
Giannis and James will both choose the players for their respective team on the night of the game, a twist that the NBA announced last Wednesday and it is similar on how you play basketball in parks and pickup games.
The Starters — three frontcourt players and two guards from each conference — are chosen based on a combination of three different votes: fan balloting counted for 50%, media balloting was worth 25% and voting by the NBA’s players made up the final 25%.
The Golden State Warriors lost to the Orlando Magics, their 3rd loss straight lost since Steph’s injury against the Boston Celtics. Warriors made it to a close game but Franz Wagner’s late three free throws with 12.2 seconds left and dunked on an inbounds play sealed the game for the Golden State.
With the Warriors’ loss (47-25), Phoenix Suns (58-14) clinched first place in the Pacific Division.
Atlanta Hawks – New York Knicks
In their first game at the Madison Square Garden since last season’s playoff, Atlanta Hawks defeated the NY Knicks. Trae Young had 45 points and 8 assists, he got a lot of help from Bogdan Bogdanovic who scored a season-high 32 points, 3 assists and 3 steals. Bogdan’s biggest contribution to the game when he hit a go-ahead 3, then another by De’Andre Hunter which is part of Hawks’ 11-0 run with 1:04 left in the game.
Hawks will visit Detroit while the Knicks will go to Charlotte on Wednesday.
Milwaukee Bucks – Chicago Bulls
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 25 points and 17 rebounds in his return after missing games because of a sore right knee. Bucks missed the services of All-Star forward Khris Middleton, who was dealing with a sore left wrist. Bucks also saw the return of Brook Lopez, who had 10 points and 6 rebounds in 24 minutes for Milwaukee. Lopez came off the bench in the last three games after missing 67 because of a back injury that needed surgery.
Bucks will host the Washington Wizard while the Bulls will visit New Orleans this Thursday.
LA Clippers – Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets took care of their business at home by a 127-115 win over the LA Clippers. Nikola Jokic bounced back from a poor shooting night by scoring 30 points, 14 reb and 6 assists. Jokic had a lot of help from Hyland, Aaron Gordon and Jeff Green, chipping in 16 points and a combined 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
Nikola Jokic's all-around play was on full display for the @nuggets as he led them to the win! #MileHighBasketball
Clippers will be hosting the Philadelphia 76ers this Friday and Nuggets will need another monster game from Jokic, to fend off the Phoenix Suns this Thursday.
