Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Bucks over Hawks, into NBA Cup final

He shrugged it all off, too.

“I just tried to compete,” Antetokounmpo said.

That he did — and that’s why he and the Milwaukee Bucks will be competing for the NBA Cup on Tuesday night.

A brilliant stat line for the two-time MVP and current NBA scoring leader — 32 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists, four blocks — carried the Bucks to a 110-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Cup semifinals on Saturday.

But it was two big plays in the final minutes — diving on the floor to help create a turnover with 6:35 left, then blocking Clint Capela’s dunk try at the rim four minutes later — that helped ensure the Bucks would be playing for the title.

“Winning plays,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “We never show film after a game, and we showed the winning plays today. It takes what it takes. I wish you could script what it takes.”

If there was any question as to whether the NBA Cup matters to the Bucks, and to a generational player like Antetokounmpo — he of the $49 million salary this season, already the holder of a championship ring and a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team — there were emphatic answers on Saturday.

He subbed in for his final shift with 8:17 left and many of those big plays, the “winning plays” Rivers referenced, down the stretch had his fingerprints all over them. Antetokounmpo’s lob that Brook Lopez swatted in with his left hand came about a minute into that final stint, a play that put the Bucks up for good in what had been a back-and-forth final quarter to that point.

He dove at Jalen Johnson’s feet to create a turnover not long afterward, then had an assist on Andre Jackson Jr.’s 3-pointer that put Milwaukee up 94-90 on the ensuing possession. And the capper was with 2:35 left, when the Hawks threw a lob to Capela — and not only did Antetokounmpo block the dunk try, he did so while Lopez barreled into his teammate’s side and knocked him to the court.

“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 that’s what he did, a chance at the NBA Cup awaits.

The Bucks will meet Oklahoma City, which beat Houston in the other semifinal, for the title on Tuesday night.

Milwaukee improved to 11-1 all-time in NBA Cup games — the only loss coming in last year’s semifinals.

Brook Lopez scored 16 for Milwaukee.

Trae Young had 35 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Hawks, who got 15 points and 10 rebounds from Jalen Johnson and 15 points from De’Andre Hunter.

Hawks: Young drew 11 fouls in the game, a season-high. He drew 10 fouls in two other games this season; the Hawks won both of those. Since Young joined the NBA, he’s drawn at least 10 fouls in a game 52 times. Every other Hawk, combined, in that span has done it once.

Bucks: Antetokounmpo was brilliant, shooting 10 of 15 from the field and 12 of 18 from the foul line. And Bobby Portis provided his usual boost off the bench with 10 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes.

Key moment

Antetokounmpo blocked an alley-oop dunk try by Capela at the rim with 2:35 left, preserving what was a five-point Bucks lead.

Going back to last season, including playoffs, Milwaukee had lost 20 consecutive games when trailing entering the fourth quarter. The Bucks trailed 83-82 going into the fourth on Saturday.

The Bucks will play Oklahoma City in Tuesday’s championship game — which does not count in the standings — before returning to regular season play on Friday at Cleveland. The Hawks return to regular season play Thursday at San Antonio.