The Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks are about to face off in the NBA Cup Championship. The OKC Thunder are five point favorites in this tilt and saw the injury report shift in its direction.

Coming into this game, the Bucks tabbed Khris Middleton as probable before dropping him to doubtful with a non-covid illness. Before the game, the Bucks head coach took to the podium to update his status.

“He is out [tonight],” Doc Rivers said pregame of Middleton’s illness. He went on to explain the nature of the Milwaukee Bucks schedule, with a back-to-back to end the week after this game. The Bucks goal is to have Middleton healthy for the rest of the regular season.

This game doesn’t count for the regular season standings, so it is a wise move for Milwaukee to rest its forward who has only played in four games this season. In those contests, Middleton is averaging seven points, three rebounds and nearly six assists per game to go along with two stocks on the defensive end. Middleton is shooting a lowly 25 percent from the floor and beyond the arc on the young season.

While resting him is a smart play, it also cuts into an already shallow Bucks squad. They could run out of depth to compete with the Thunder in this game.

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I’ve already written ad nauseam about the NBA Cup in concept and in practice, so I’ll avoid that here and talk about what getting here actually means for this Bucks team. We all know that Milwaukee was pretty much left for dead by the national media after their 2-8 start. Rather than celebrate their return to contention following their 12-3 stretch that followed, the response outside Milwaukee has mostly been just to stop the Giannis trade speculation or takes about the team being cooked. That’s definitely good.

Will tonight’s game, though not counting in the standings, improve their perception around the league even more? A decisive win over the West-leading Thunder probably would do that. It needn’t be wire-to-wire, but they’d have to hold a double-digit lead for most, if not all, of the second half for many to think the Bucks controlled this game.

That’s a tall order against the league’s top defensive unit, who has been near the top of the league for the entire year to this point. So let’s say it’s a W in a close game. I’ll be surprised if Milwaukee is being heralded as “back” or once again regarded as a true title contender by the consensus. A close loss probably won’t change anyone’s opinion of the team, whereas a decisive defeat or blowout will give a lot of fuel to the naysayers.

As long as the margin is within 10 and the game remains close throughout, the outcome of this game probably won’t change many people’s opinions about the Bucks. Maybe we glean some things from how they match up with OKC specifically, but this is a team lacking Chet Holmgren. I don’t necessarily think this game tells us any more about how Milwaukee fares against the current best teams in the league than a matchup with Boston, Cleveland, or New York would. They’re chasing those teams in the standings, after all, so there’s plenty of juice for those games too, just not the same type of juice tonight has.

In this week’s Tuesday Tracker, we get your thoughts on the title game and what it means for your personal perspective on the Bucks. We also revisit two areas of the team where the numbers continue to improve from their early season nadirs: Bobby Portis and the defense.

As always, this poll will be open until midnight Central on Friday, and we’ll post the results later that day. Thanks for voting!

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks are competing for the second annual NBA Cup tonight. T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is the venue for the NBA’s 83rd regular season game. While the game will not mean much in terms of the league standings, it comes with a hefty monetary reward for the winner: $500,000 for each player on the winning team.

Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo headline the contest. Both players are MVP candidates who could use the boost from this featured game to increase their odds of winning the MVP Award. Of course, only a win will help, and the Thunder have been the best team in the NBA this year.

That said, the Bucks boast arguably the best player in Antetokounmpo. If Milwaukee can get the Greek Freak going near the rim, the Thunder will have a hard time stopping their offense. After both semifinal games delivered incredible action, anticipation is high for the finals. Here’s everything to know for tonight’s NBA Cup Finals.

NBA Cup winners and losers: Giannis, Shai step up, set up Bucks vs. Thunder final

Predictions for 2024 NBA Cup Finals:

USA Today:

• Jeff Zillgitt: Thunder 112, Bucks 100
• Lorenzo Reyes: Thunder 108, Bucks 101

Nikola Velickovic, Vegas Odds: UNDER 213.5

Velickovic writes, “The Bucks will need Damian Lillard at his best to beat the Thunder. Dame must drop at least 25 buckets for his team even to stand a chance. Meanwhile, OKC’s strenth is harsh defense and very versatile offense, with SGA leading the way. For the time being, the best pick here is under 213.5 points, which is the current total line. It’s one game, and the intensity will be very high.”

Stephen Noh, SportingNews: Thunder to win big

Noh writes, “The Bucks are good, but the Thunder are better. This should be a comfortable win for Oklahoma City, which looks like the strong favorite to make it to the other championship game in June.”

Bucks vs. Thunder: NBA Cup Finals odds

The Oklahoma City Thunder are favorites to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks, according to BetMGM.

Odds as of Monday, Dec. 16

• Spread: Thunder (-4.5)
• Moneyline: Thunder (-200); Bucks (+165)
• Over/under: 215.5

How to watch Bucks vs. Thunder in NBA Cup Finals

• Date: Tuesday, Dec. 17
• Time: 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT
• Where: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
• TV: TNT
• Stream: Sling

Watch NBA Cup Final with a free trial subscription with Sling

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