Bucks and Thunder to square off in NBA Cup Final
The Bucks and Thunder are set to square off in the NBA Cup Final. Which team has the best shot at winning? The For The Hoops crew makes their case!
Players have bought into the in-season NBA Cup.
“It’s been fun,” Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Obviously the added stakes in the game gives it a little bit of a different feel. It’s good prep for postseason. It’s obviously heightened stakes than a regular season, 82-game season, and it’s good to get reps in games that mean a little bit more and have stakes to it. It’s been fun and beneficial to the group for sure.”
Said Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo: “I love that the NBA kind of adapted this system within the regular season you have games that means more, but when you come here, you have two games that brings a lot of attention to basketball, to the NBA, to the teams, and teams have opportunity to kind of make something happen because not necessarily always is the best NBA team going to win the Cup. It’s who going to play the best basketball in those knockout games, which I love.”
The NBA Cup, now in its second season, has been a success on the court in 2024 with two hot teams (the Thunder and Bucks) and two MVP candidates (Gilgeous-Alexander and Antetokounmpo) playing for the Cup title Tuesday night in Las Vegas at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Now, let’s see if the NBA Cup can capitalize on its success with fans in terms of TV ratings and interest.
Follow along for live updates from Tuesday’s showdown in Las Vegas:
In a first quarter that had six lead changes, the Thunder grabbed a 28-27 lead after the opening 12 minutes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Isaiah Hartenstein each had 10 points for the Thunder, and Gilgeous-Alexander also had two rebounds and two assists.
The potent 1-2 punch of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard combined for 13 of Milwaukee’s 27 points, and the Bucks went 5-for-9 from 3-point range to stay close.
OKC shot 57.1% from the field (but just 1-for-6 on 3s) in the first quarter, and Milwaukee was 9-for-20 from the field.
Even though the Thunder are 10-for-17 shooting from the field, they are 0-for-4 on 3-pointers. Meanwhile, the Bucks are shooing 46.7% from the field but have made four of their seven 3-pointers and own a 22-20 lead with 3:25 left in the first quarter. Taurean Prince, Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis and Damian Lillard have made 3s for Milwaukee.
Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein, one of the savvy offseason acquisitions, had six points (3-for-3 shooting) and two rebounds in the first three minutes, and teammate Jalen Williams, who is making a case for his first All-Star appearance, has four points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and one block as the Thunder own an early 16-9 lead, forcing a Milwaukee timeout with 7:30 left in the first quarter.
Milwaukee small forward Khris Middleton, who played in his first game this season on Dec. 6, is out with a non-COVID illness.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo has won two MVPs. Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished second last season to Denver’s Nikola Jokic, who won his third MVP in four seasons.
They are among the leading candidates for the 2024-25 MVP two months into the season, and Antetokounmpo’s Bucks play Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder in the NBA Cup final.
The Bucks are hot after a 2-8 start and have won 12 of their past 15 games, and Antetokounmpo is leading the way. He is the NBA’s top scorer at 32.7 points per game and averages 11.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 blocks and shoots 61.4%, which would be a career high if he maintains that percentage. If the Bucks continue to win and vault into the top four in the Eastern Conference by season’s end (they are in sixth place right now), Antetokounmpo will have a great case for his third MVP.
Gilgeous-Alexander averages 30.3 points, 6.3 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals and shoots 51% from the field, 34% on 3s and 86.4% on free throws – and the Thunder are atop the West at 20-5. Just two players (Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic) average at least 30 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals this season. A 60-win season with those stats might give Gilgeous-Alexander his first MVP.
- Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY: Thunder 112, Bucks 100
- Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY: Thunder 108, Bucks 101
- James Williams, USA TODAY: Thunder 100, Bucks 98
Here is the NBA Cup prize money for players in 2024:
- Players on losing quarterfinals teams: $51,497
- Players on losing semifinals teams: $102,994
- Players on losing team in championship game: $205,988
- Players on winning team in NBA Cup championship game: $514,970
The prize money increased because the players and the league agreed on it in the 2023 collective bargaining agreement as it relates to basketball-related income.
Following the first season of the NBA Cup in 2023, according to the CBA, prize money will increase “for each subsequent Salary Cap Year: (A) for each IST Player on the Team that wins the IST Finals Game, an amount equal to $500,000 multiplied by the ‘BRI Growth Factor’ for such Salary Cap Year; (B) for each IST Player on the Team that loses the IST Finals Game, an amount equal to $200,000 multiplied by the BRI Growth Factor for such Salary Cap Year; (C) for each IST Player on a Team that loses an IST Semifinals game, $100,000 multiplied by the BRI Growth Factor for such Salary Cap Year; and (D) for each IST Player on a Team that loses an IST Quarterfinals game, $50,000 multiplied by the BRI Growth Factor for such Salary Cap Year.”
What is BRI growth factor? According to the CBA, “the BRI Growth Factor for a Salary Cap Year is a fraction, the numerator of which is BRI for the immediately preceding Salary Cap Year and the denominator of which is BRI for the 2022-23 Salary Cap Year; provided, however, that the NBA and Players Association may agree to reduce the BRI Growth Factor for one (1) or more Salary Cap Years to a smaller fraction with value of no less than one (1).”
In simpler terms, the prize money is about a 3% increase season over season.
The NBA Cup final tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s NBA Cup final is at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC and can be streamed on Fubo.
Tuesday’s final is being played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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