SGA, Thunder Clinch NBA Cup Final Berth in Win vs. Rockets as Fans Hype Bucks Matchup

Posted by Admin December 15, 2024 NBA

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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 @NBA

SGA, THUNDER PUNCH THEIR TICKET. 🎟️🎰
⛈️ 32 PTS
⛈️ 8 REB
⛈️ 6 AST
⛈️ 5 STL
OKC will face the Bucks in the #EmiratesNBACup Championship Tuesday at 8:30pm/et on ABC 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Z2mrxqueCn

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.

Clemente Almanza @CAlmanza1007

Are those MVP chants I hear for SGA from the Las Vegas crowd

Skip Bayless @RealSkipBayless

SGA MVP.

Brandon Rahbar @BrandonRahbar

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has his 13th 30 point game of the season.
SGA is #2 in most 30 point games behind possible NBA Cup Finals opponent Giannis with 15.

5 @lfcf14

SGA has 30 points on 20 shots and this is suppose to be a bad offensive night for him lol

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.

Matt @sixringsofsteeI

I need a Thunder/Rockers playoff series
Two elite defenses has been very entertaining to watch as a neutral fan

Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps

Thunder-Rockets was expected to be a defensive slugfest, and it’s been so in the opening minutes. As @espn_macmahon just said to me, both teams have more turnovers than made baskets in the first five minutes.

Amit Mann @Amit_Mann

I love this Rockets-Thunder game so much. Scoring should be hard because the defence is challenging your squad.
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.

Vivek Jacob @vivekmjacob

Bucks have steadily improved this season but still feel a notch below the Thunder. Will be a positive sign if they can make it a great final.

bob @BobPolglaze

Absolutely horrified at the thought of what this Thunder defense is going to do to the Bucks 😅

Rodney Johnson @RodJohnsonJr24

Milwaukee against OKC matchup I don’t mind to see for this in season tourney final. Giannis vs SGA

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.