Thunder and Bucks Emirates NBA Cup Preview and Prediction

LAS VEGAS – The 2025 NBA Cup final is here and it’s going to be a really fun game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks.

There are probably a lot of smart basketball minds that thought the Thunder would be in this position so they aren’t really a surprise but the Bucks on the other hand are. They started the season off at 2-8 and there were a lot of questions on if they needed to make a trade or not. They have obviously turned their season around though. Winners of ten of their last twelve, the Bucks have started to make the noise that a lot of people thought they would.

Winning this game would mean so much for both teams in similar and different ways.

Obviously there is the money aspect of the NBA Cup with $500,000 on the line but for both teams but also, this would send a message to the NBA that they’re legit threats for a championship. For the Bucks, it would also, in some ways, prove they have really turned their season around. Beating one of the best teams in the league would be huge for them and could be the valid turn in their season.

While the message sent to the NBA would be equally as big for the Thunder, the more important thing is what it does for them as a team. This would be a big step in the right direction of where they want to eventually get which is a championship. For them as a team it lets them know that they are capable of winning important games. Games that matter. Having the best record in the West is great but it means nothing if you can’t win those important games in the playoffs. With the NBA Cup having a playoff feel to it, it would not only give them more experience in playoff type games before the playoffs but a win would go a long way for their psyche as a team. Confidence is everything. Getting to the playoffs knowing you’ve already won important games of consequence could help them get over that hump.

The discourse surrounding the NBA Cup though hasn’t been the most positive and for the casual fan this isn’t the matchup they want. The average NBA fan wants to see LeBron James and the Lakers, Steph Curry and the Warriors, Kevin Durant, or the Celtics. Thunder and Bucks is a phenomenal matchup though and it’s great for the NBA. It gives them a chance to showcase two good teams and some really good players.

To the casual fan they may see Thunder vs. Bucks and lose some interest but on the surface alone this is a stacked matchup. You have two time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo who is having one of the best seasons we’ve seen in a while, Allstar Damian Lillard, 2024 MVP runner up in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who is leading the Thunder at the top of the Western Conference despite all of the injuries they have dealt with plus Jalen Williams who is one of the best young talents in the league. The players alone carry this contest and should be enough for a casual fan to tune in.

Then, once you get beneath the surface the matchup gets much much better. It’s like finding fries at the bottom of the bag after you run out. On one hand you have Giannis who is reminding everyone just why he’s called the “Greek Freak.” He has kept his game very simple. He’s bigger, stronger, and faster than everyone else and he has been letting the NBA know it every night. It’s no accident that he’s leading the league in scoring considering he hasn’t had a game shooting less than 50% from the field in any of his 23 games. He’s going be a a lot to deal with and hard to slow down.

It’s a good thing the Thunder have the NBA’s top defense because that’s what’s on the other hand in this matchup. It’s not a fluke that the Thunder are the best defensive team in the league. Despite their injuries and not playing a single game where they have had their full roster or core, they have sent a message to the NBA every night that they are real and it starts on the defensive side of the ball. There really isn’t a weakness for them on that side of the ball. OKC has a great combination of depth, physicality, skill, toughness, and talent that makes things a lot easier for them.

How do they stop or slow down Giannis though? That’s the biggest question about this matchup and that makes things exciting. How does Giannis try and navigate though this tough Thunder defense? How do the Thunder game plan for Giannis? Who guards him? There are so many questions that make this game so intriguing that it makes it worth setting your alarm to watch.

Prediction

Daniel: Thunder 114-101

While the Bucks do come in as winners of ten of their last twelve I’m not 100% sold on their defense. They have gotten a lot better than the beginning of the season and are headed in the right direction but there are still a lot of cracks in the defense. Particularly on the wing and that’s where the Thunder have their best players. SGA and JDub will be able to do pretty much whatever they want. Getting to their spots at will and the rest of the team will be able to follow. That to go with their top ranked defense should be good enough to slow the Bucks down also.

Robert: Thunder in a blowout

Thunder are the best team in the West and let be honest, the Bucks are just starting to play decent.

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