On Saturday afternoon, the Milwaukee Bucks officially punched their ticket to the final round of the Emirates NBA Cup tournament with a thrilling win over the Atlanta Hawks in Las Vegas, Nevada. Giannis Antetokounmpo was far and away the best player on the court during the matchup, making huge plays on both ends of the floor down the stretch to help seal the victory for the Bucks.

While the game on the court was entertaining, many were critical of the apparent lack of energy from those in the crowd throughout the matchup, and Antetokounmpo seemed to echo those sentiments after the game, referencing a trip he made to the EuroLeague Final Four recently.

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“That was my first Final Four in Berlin this year. Obviously, the atmosphere there is a little bit different with the crowd of Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Fenerbahce, and Real Madrid. It's kind of different,” said Antetokounmpo, per BasketNews.

“I wish we had that kind of atmosphere in the NBA, but we don't,” he continued. “But the intensity within the game, I think, is pretty much the same. Everyone understands that it's one game, and you have to play well. If you don't, you get knocked out.”

Antetokounmpo then reiterated that the atmosphere, not the product on the court, was the problem.

“So, the intensity within the game from the teams, you see high-level basketball, teams are competing, the intensity is high. In that aspect, it's pretty much the same,” said Antetokounmpo. “The only thing that's different, I believe, is the atmosphere. I wish the NBA could have that type of atmosphere here.”

When the NBA in-season tournament was first announced, many were questioning how the league would get fans to care about the proceedings, wondering if the prospect of ten and hundred millionaires potentially winning an extra half million dollars was really enough to generate fan interest.

Based on the crowd energy in Las Vegas on Saturday, the answer to that question was no.

Can the Bucks win the NBA Cup?

Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) react during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks in a semifinal of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena.
Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The Bucks will take on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the final round of the tournament. The Thunder punched their ticket to the championship game with a dominant defensive performance vs the Houston Rockets on Saturday evening, a couple hours after the Bucks completed their win over the Hawks.

The Thunder and Rockets are slated to tip off at 8:30 PM ET on Tuesday, once again from Las Vegas. The game will be carried nationally by ABC.