This is the final of the NBA Cup with the game being played in Las Vegas. It is the only game of the night.
Oklahoma City is sixth in pace while Milwaukee is 12th. The teams are ninth and tenth in offensive efficiency while the big discrepancy lies in the defensive efficiency. Oklahoma City has the best defense in the league while Milwaukee is 14th.
OKC has not faced the beast that is Giannis Antetokounmpo, though. That said, I’m sure Mark Daigneault will have something special cooked up for him.
Oklahoma City enters this game on a five-game winning streak. They have only five losses on the season and have lost more than one game only once.
Milwaukee got out to a 1-6 record to open the season, but they have bounced back and sit at 14-11, thanks to a seven-game win streak in November.
DraftKings Sportsbook has OKC -5 over MIL with the total at 216.5. Keep track of injury updates at DK Live.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $400K NBA Cup Special [$100K to 1st] (MIL at OKC)
Milwaukee Bucks at Oklahoma City Thunder
Captain’s Picks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($18,000 CP): SGA is one of the preeminent bucket-getters in the league. He has the handles. He stops on a dime and changes direction like an ice skater. He has pristine footwork that allows him to separate and tickle the twine. Oh, did I forget to mention that he grabs rebounds, dishes out dimes and racks up defensive stats? He literally does it all and has put up over 60 FPTS in each of the last two games.
UTIL Plays
Jalen Williams ($10,400): Williams is Robin to the SGA Batman. While he will likely end up in the 30 FPTS range, he does have 50+ FPTS upside, something he’s done six times this season, with two of those over 60 FPTS. On the season, Williams is garnering a 27.4% usage rate and I think both he and Shai get busy in this one.
AJ Green ($3,000): Green is a shooting specialist, and I think his ability to stretch the floor will be needed in this one. In the last game, he played 19 minutes and went 3-of-6 from downtown, good for 12.25 FPTS. Prior to that, he received at least 20 minutes in 11 straight, scoring double-digit FPTS in nine of those with a high of 30.5 FPTS.
Cason Wallace ($4,800): Over the last eight games, Wallace has received over 20 minutes in all with five of those over 30 minutes. He’s scored double-digit FPTS in all with six over 20 and two over 30. He’s not sexy, but he hits the open shot and contributes a little something in every statistical category. In the two most recent games, Wallace has received 32 and 31 minutes, finishing with 19 and 34 FPTS.
Fades
Brook Lopez ($7,000): Lopez is a perimeter-oriented player who doesn’t grab many rebounds and needs to hit treys and block shots. I’m not sure how many good looks he gets from downtown in this one, as the Thunder swarm and can switch everything. Over the last four games, Lopez has finished under 20 FPTS in three of those contests.
THE OUTCOME
The Thunder are one of the best, most versatile and balanced teams in the league. And that’s without Chet Holmgren. Scary stuff. They have climbed the NBA ladder over the last two seasons, reaching new heights in each but also getting humbled and learning new things. I think they are ready to claim the throne. Winning the NBA Cup is the first step and I think they show those who don’t already know how good they are.
Final Score: Thunder 116, Bucks 110
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $400K NBA Cup Special [$100K to 1st] (MIL at OKC)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is sontzu) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
