In just the second year of the NBA’s in-season tournament—the NBA Cup—the Oklahoma City Thunder is set to take on the Milwaukee Bucks in the Final. OKC is a slight favored over the Bucks, who struggled to start the season but have caught fire as of late. The Thunder is no slouch either as they hold the league’s longest acting winning streak at 5 with each of those wins coming by double digits.
While the NBA Cup Final isn’t necessarily the one that the league hoped for due to the small markets of both teams, it does feature two of the league’s top players in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two are near polar opposites in their body size and style of play—Shai plays with finesse and precision while Giannis is more strength and athleticism—but their effect on the game is nearly unmatched across the league.
While the NBA Cup Final doesn’t count for much more than a bonus paycheck and bragging rights, I would expect both teams to compete as if it’s a playoff game.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 7:30 PM CT
Location: T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Television: ABC
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, Houston Rockets Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Cason Wallace
- SF: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Jalen Williams
- C: Isaiah Hartenstein
Bucks
- PG: Damian Lillard
- SG: Andre Jackson
- SF: Taurean Prince
- PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- C: Brook Lopez
Injury Report
Thunder
- Ousmane Dieng (small fracture in right ring finger) is OUT.
- Alex Ducas (sprained lower back) is OUT.
- Adam Flagler (fractured right fourth metacarpal) is OUT.
- Chet Holmgren (fractured right iliac wing) is OUT.
- Dillon Jones (G League — on assignment) is OUT.
- Nikola Topic (sprained left knee) is OUT.
- Jaylin Williams (strained right hamstring) is OUT.
Bucks
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (tendinopathy in right patella) is PROBABLE.
- Damian Lillard (right calf contusion) is PROBABLE.
- Khris Middleton (non-covid illness) is PROBABLE.
- Liam Robbins (sprained left ankle) is QUESTIONABLE.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder are 15-16 against the Bucks in the regular season (8-7 at home, 7-9 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series with the Bucks 4 times, lost it 4 times, and tied it 7 times.
- The Thunder went 1-1 against the Bucks last year (1-0 at home, 0-1 on the road).