The Milwaukee Bucks captured the 2024 NBA Cup title with a 97-81 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. A great third quarter was key to the Bucks’ win, as they outscored the Thunder by 12 points in that frame.
Bucks big man Bobby Portis — who dropped five points, nine rebounds and three assists off the pine — spoke on the difference between the current iteration of Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Lakers team that won the 2023 NBA Cup title.
“We’re not Hollywood,” he told The Athletic when asked about the Lakers comparison. “We have hard-working guys (who are) selfless and who give themselves up for the betterment of the team. It’s not about the points you score. It’s all about winning, being connected. Our group is different from their group. We’re just different in that regard of selfless guys that give themselves up. You can’t really compare the two teams — not at all.”
The Lakers won the first NBA Cup title after they beat Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers in the title game in December of last year. Anthony Davis was key to Los Angeles’ victory, as he was a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor.
The former University of Kentucky star totaled 41 points while knocking down all but eight of his 24 shots from the field. He also grabbed a whopping 15 defensive rebounds (20 total) and blocked four shots.
Los Angeles’ assist total against the Pacers indicates that the team played selflessly with an NBA Cup championship at stake. The Lakers accumulated 25 assists, which is exactly the same number of assists that the Bucks finished with versus the Thunder.
Last year’s Lakers were certainly flawed, as they lost to the Denver Nuggets in five games in the opening round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, but there isn’t much evidence to suggest they were selfish. Los Angeles ranked fifth in the league in assists per game a season ago with 28.5.
Plus, they were led by one of the NBA’s all-time leaders in assists in LeBron James. James ranks fourth in league history in career assists with 11,227, and only John Stockton, Chris Paul and Jason Kidd are ahead of him in that regard.
In light of Portis’ comments, maybe the Lakers will be extra motivated to earn a win next time they take on the Bucks, which will be on March 13. The Lakers and Bucks have similar records right now, as the former owns a 14-12 record and sits as the No. 10 seed in the West, while the latter is 14-11 and holds the No. 5 seed.
