The in-season tournament road for the Oklahoma City Thunder has not been easy. Facing off against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in the quarterfinals only to be met by the second seed out West in the Houston Rockets proved to be troublesome. But the Thunder were more than prepared.
Now, starting tonight, Loud City hopes to win a potential title in Sin City as they will have to face off against a two-time league MVP and DPOY as well as a point guard who has a history of ending OKC championship hopes.
Time and Location
The OKC Thunder will play the Milwaukee Bucks in Emirates NBA Cup championship game today, Dec. 17, in Las Vegas at 8:30 PM EST/7:30 PM CST and on ABC.
Lineups
For the Thunder, here is what their championship lineup should look like:
| Position: | Name: | Number: |
| Point Guard | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 2 |
| Shooting Guard | Cason Wallace | 22 |
| Small Forward | Lu Dort | 5 |
| Power Forward | Jalen Williams | 8 |
| Center | Isaiah Hartenstein | 55 |
For Milwaukee, here is the lineup they used in their semifinals matchup:
| Position: | Name: | Number: |
| Point Guard | Damian Lillard | 0 |
| Shooting Guard | Andre Jackson Jr. | 44 |
| Small Forward | Taurean Prince | 12 |
| Power Forward | Giannis Antetokounmpo | 34 |
| Center | Brook Lopez | 11 |
Injuries
For Oklahoma City, Chet Holmgren (hip), Ousmane Dieng (finger), Nikola Topic (ACL), Adam Flagler (finger) and Alex Ducas (back) are all out for tonight’s game. For Jaylin Williams, he is listed as day-to-day with his hamstring injury, but it is doubtful he will play.
MORE: How long is Chet Holmgren out? Hip injury timeline, return date, latest updates on Thunder forward
As for the Bucks, they currently have no one on their injury list.
What to know
In order for the Thunder to have a chance at winning this game, they will need to focus on two players: Giannis and Lillard. They are the only two players on the Bucks’ roster who are averaging more than 15 points per game (Giannis with 32.7 and Lillard with 25.7). Every other player has 13 points per game or less.
When it comes to Giannis, there is very little players can do to stop him; best case scenario is slowing him down in the half court. For Lillard, however, OKC has an assortment of guards they can throw at him to make his play inconsistent. Whether it is Wallace, Caruso or Dort, forcing Lillard to give the ball up will be key in stopping the Bucks’ offense.
As for OKC’s offense, pushing the pace and speeding Milwaukee up will be vital. As mentioned by the Sporting News NBA expert Stephen Noh, the Bucks prefer to set up their defense as opposed to crashing the glass. If the Thunder are able to get out in transition and get quick buckets, they will be in a good position.
Moreover, Milwaukee ranks 13th in overall league defensive rating. Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous Alexander is atop the NBA in drives per game and isolation points. Bucks guards like Lillard will either have to foul SGA or double team him, which will ultimately lead to open shot opportunities for the Thunder.
NBA Cup Final: tonight ⚡️
📺 ABC
📻 @sportsanimal pic.twitter.com/iO4ElbFUqB— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 17, 2024
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