On Tuesday night, the final of the 2024 NBA Cup will take place in Las Vegas, with the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder doing battle. Star power will be on full display on both sides, as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are among those looking to get their hands on this trophy. OKC is favored by 5.5 points going into this matchup, while the total has been set at 215.5.
Using our NBA betting models, we have identified the best bet for this contest to determine who will win the NBA Cup. Continue reading to get our data-backed prediction for Bucks vs Thunder and to find out what we think the keys are to this inter-conference matchup.
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Bucks Look For Fourth Straight Win, NBA Cup
The Milwaukee Bucks got off to a 2-8 start this season and looked like they were in for a rough year as a whole. But the NBA Cup helped them to turn things around, as they have won 12 of their last 15 games going into the final of this tournament. While today’s NBA betting lines have the Bucks as underdogs against the Thunder, Milwaukee is playing well and will look to claim a trophy early in the 2024-25 NBA season.
For the Bucks, the key to this game is going to be their perimeter defense. Milwaukee has the size edge in this game with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez, but OKC could hurt them from the outside if the Bucks aren’t careful on defense. Milwaukee’s rotations will need to be crisp to avoid getting torched from the perimeter in this cup final.
Can OKC Take Care Of Business As NBA Cup Favorites?
The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Houston Rockets in the semifinal of the NBA Cup, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander going off for 32 points in that matchup. Now, OKC is just one win away from claiming the NBA Cup title, their first outright title since moving to Oklahoma City from Seattle. But for the Thunder to win the cup, they will need their dynamic duo to outperform the dynamic duo of the Bucks.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams have become one of the best scoring duos in the NBA this season. If they can stand tall against Antetokounmpo and Lillard, that will allow the superior depth of the Thunder to shine through and could tilt the scales in OKC’s favor in what should be a great game for the NBA Cup.
Bucks vs Thunder NBA Cup Final Prediction
Our best bet for Bucks vs Thunder is for the Milwaukee Bucks to cover the spread as an underdog from Las Vegas. Milwaukee has the weapons to keep up with OKC, even if the Thunder are expected to win this game in the end. We expect this contest to come down to the final possessions in what should be a classic and a much better NBA Cup Final than we got last year.
