Giannis Antetokounmpo had a busy and intense final few minutes in the NBA Cup semifinals. He was diving for loose balls, blocking dunk attempts, and even getting knocked over by his teammates in mid-air. But he kept going.
“I just tried to compete,” Antetokounmpo said.
And that’s exactly what he did — which is why he and the Milwaukee Bucks will be playing for the NBA Cup on Tuesday night.
Antetokounmpo’s impressive stats — 32 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists, and four blocks — helped the Bucks win 110-102 against the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Cup semifinals on Saturday.
But it was two key plays in the final minutes that secured the win: diving to create a turnover with 6:35 left, and blocking Clint Capela’s dunk attempt four minutes later. These plays helped make sure the Bucks would be heading to the championship game.
“Winning plays,” said Bucks coach Doc Rivers. “We never show film after a game, but today we showed the winning plays. It takes what it takes. I wish you could script what it takes.”
If there was any doubt about whether the NBA Cup matters to the Bucks or to a player like Antetokounmpo — who makes $49 million this season, already has a championship ring, and is part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team — there were clear answers on Saturday.
Antetokounmpo came back into the game with 8:17 left, and many of the key plays Rivers talked about came from him in the closing minutes.
About a minute into his final stretch, Antetokounmpo made a lob pass that Brook Lopez slammed in with his left hand, putting the Bucks ahead for good in a game that had been close up to that point.
He then dove at Jalen Johnson’s feet to force a turnover, and on the next possession, he assisted Andre Jackson Jr. on a 3-pointer, putting the Bucks up 94-90. The final big moment came with 2:35 left, when the Hawks threw a lob to Capela. Not only did Antetokounmpo block Capela’s dunk attempt, but he did it while Lopez crashed into him and knocked him to the ground.
“Just got to keep on doing things to help your team win,” Antetokounmpo said. “Sometimes it’s going to be a block, sometimes it’s going to be a shot, sometimes it’s going to be a pass. It doesn’t matter what it is. What matters is just being able to be selfless, sacrifice your body, your own ambitions, goals, to help your team win.”
And because of the way he played, the Bucks now have a chance to win the NBA Cup.
