SGA, Thunder Clinch NBA Cup Final Berth in Win vs. Rockets as Fans Hype Bucks Matchup
December 15, 2024
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder will play Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks for the NBA Cup title on Tuesday.
The Thunder earned a spot in the NBA Cup Final after defeating the Houston Rockets 111-96 in Saturday night's semifinal game.
NBA @NBASGA, THUNDER PUNCH THEIR TICKET. 🎟️🎰<br><br>⛈️ 32 PTS<br>⛈️ 8 REB<br>⛈️ 6 AST<br>⛈️ 5 STL<br><br>OKC will face the Bucks in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EmiratesNBACup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EmiratesNBACup</a> Championship Tuesday at 8:30pm/et on ABC 🏆 <a href="https://t.co/Z2mrxqueCn">pic.twitter.com/Z2mrxqueCn</a>
A low-scoring first half saw the Thunder and Rockets combine for just 83 points through two quarters on Saturday night.
The Thunder began to pull away after Gilgeous-Alexander led the team on an 11-0 run in the third quarter.
After scoring 20 points in the second half, Gilgeous-Alexander finished out the victory with a team-high 32 points.
The effort marked Gilgeous-Alexander's fourth consecutive game with at least 30 points. He has now hit the 30-point threshold in 12 out of 25 games this season.
The Thunder shot 36.7 percent from deep, but emerged victorious by holding the Rockets to 23.9 percent shooting from behind the arc.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder's defense with five steals, while Luguentz Dort recorded three in the defensive showdown.
Tim Bontemps @TimBontempsThunder-Rockets was expected to be a defensive slugfest, and it's been so in the opening minutes. As <a href="https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@espn_macmahon</a> just said to me, both teams have more turnovers than made baskets in the first five minutes.
Amit Mann @Amit_MannI love this Rockets-Thunder game so much. Scoring should be hard because the defence is challenging your squad.<br><br>In this kinda game, if you're not guarding, you're the weak link. 10 players at all times are locked in on matchups, rotations, helping, finishing possessions and…
The Bucks earned their own spot in the final with an NBA Cup semifinal victory over the Atlanta Hawks earlier on Saturday. Milwaukee's star duo of Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard combined for 57 points in the win.
Milwaukee and Oklahoma City will now battle for the chance to join the Los Angeles Lakers as the NBA's in-season tournament winners.
The title game will not impact the teams' overall records or the players' season stats, but each winning competitor will receive more than $500,000 in prize money.
Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will look to ride a five-game victory streak into the NBA Cup Final. Tip-off is scheduled for Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET.