Oklahoma City Thunder vs Milwaukee Bucks Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 16/12/2024, 21:30  by Joseph King | Modified on 17/12/2024 at 03:03 in NBA Predictions

Tuesday night sees the Milwaukee Bucks and OKC Thunder squaring off for the chance to be crowned 2024 NBA Cup champions. Only two teams remain in the second iteration of the league’s in-season tournament; which team will come out on top at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas? Here’s our match prediction.

The Bucks turnaround this season has been well-documented, as has Giannis’ rapid rise up the MVP ladder. Milwaukee looks a completely different team then the one that lost eight of its first 10 games and have battled back to a 14-11 record which puts them fifth in the East standings.

They advanced to the final of the NBA Cup after a 110-102 victory over the Hawks in the semi-final, preserving their perfect record in the competition. They’ll face their biggest test in Las Vegas as they come up against a juggernaut Thunder team that is one of the frontrunners for the NBA championship.

The Thunder have a strong case for being considered the best team in the NBA. They possess a smothering defense that ranks first in adjusted defensive rating (105.4) and are led by a top-three MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

OKC were able to limit the Rockets to under 100 points in their 111-96 semi-final victory. It marked the fifth win in a row for the Thunder who sit atop the Western Conference standings with a 20-5 record.