Starting 5, Dec. 15: Bucks and Thunder ready for Emirates NBA Cup championship faceoff in Las Vegas

web editor  

Starting 5, Dec. 15: Bucks and Thunder ready for Emirates NBA Cup championship faceoff in Las Vegas

Eyes on the prize. SGA and the Thunder will face Giannis and the Bucks in Tuesday’s Emirates NBA Cup championship (8:30 ET, ABC).

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION

Dec. 15, 2024

Bucks Edge Hawks: Giannis & Dame take over in a battle between two surging squads

Dame Time: How the famed closer delivered another dagger when it mattered most

Thunder Top Rockets: OKC outlasts Houston in a clash of dominant defenses

NBA Creator Cup: Basketball’s biggest internet personalities take the floor tonight in Vegas

Sunday’s Slate: Klay’s return to the Bay Part II, Wolves & Grizz look to stay hot and more

BUT FIRST … ⏰

One game to decide who hoists the NBA Cup…

The Emirates NBA Cup championship is set as the East No. 1 seed Milwaukee will meet West No. 1 OKC in Tuesday’s winner-take-all showdown at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (8:30 ET, ABC). Witness the Cup winner crowned in person — secure your championship tickets here!

Question Of The Day: How many poker chips fit inside the Emirates NBA Cup? The semifinalists gave their best guesses Red Carpet Arrivals

: Go behind the scenes as players & celebs 

roll up in style

The NBA Creator Cup also tips off at T-Mobile Arena tonight (7:30 ET, YouTube/NBA App). The action-packed 5×5 pickup game features your favorite hoop creators, including the Professor, Lethal Shooter, Jesser, Tristan Jass and more. Grab your tickets here.

More Vegas Hoops: The EYBL Scholastic Showcase — a competition featuring six top high school programs — began Thursday and runs through Monday in Vegas. The highlights speak for themselves; these young hoopers can ball.

Sunday’s Slate: Seven games get underway today, highlighted by a marquee West matchup on NBA TV as Luka Dončić, Klay Thompson and the Mavs face Steph Curry and the Warriors in the Bay (8:30 ET).

1. BUCKS EDGE OUT HAWKS TO REACH NBA CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

“48 minutes. Do it together,” Giannis Antetokounmpo told his team pregame. “There’s no tomorrow. We need this tonight.”

In the 2023 NBA Cup semifinals, the Bucks saw the Pacers turn a one-point lead into a nine-point win with a 15-7 run to close the game, sending Milwaukee home empty-handed.

Fast forward to 2024’s NBA Cup semifinals, and it was the Bucks who closed on a 14-7 run to edge out the Hawks, 110-102, as Giannis and Damian Lillard combined for 57 points to send Milwaukee to Tuesday’s championship. | Recap

Deer Duo Takeover: Giannis stuffed the stat sheet with 32 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and four blocks, while Lillard added 25 points, five 3s, seven dimes and three stealsGiannis Kareem:

It’s Giannis’ 100th career game with 30+ points and 10+ rebounds on over 60% shooting, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only Bucks to reach the mark

A Full 48: Entering the 4th quarter down one, Milwaukee outscored Atlanta 28-19 in the final frame, with its star duo igniting the closing run.

Greek Freak Does It All: Giannis led all scorers in the 4th with 10 points, along with five boards, three assists and one must-see block with 2:35 left to protect a five-point leadDame Time: Then, Lillard closed it out with a dagger floater to put the Bucks up seven with 23 seconds left, followed by a steal on the ensuing possession to slam the door shutDéjà Vu Defense: Giannis’ clutch rejection was eerily similar to his game-saver in Game 4 of the 2021 NBA FinalsTrae Shines:

Trae Young (35 pts, 10 ast) posted his league-leading 19th double-double of points & assists, but Milwaukee held Atlanta to 31% shooting in the 4th, handing the Hawks just their second loss in nine games

Blistering Bucks: After a 2-8 start to the season, Milwaukee has gone 12-3 in its last 15 games, and it remains the only unbeaten team in Cup play (6-0).

Standings Surge: The run has boosted the Bucks from 14th place in the East to Playoff position (No. 6 seed) while putting them one win shy of an NBA Cup titleWhat’s Changed? “We trust one another now,” said Giannis. “The moment we realized we had to play together, we turned our season around…“But the job’s not done.”

2. DAME TIME: THE ICONIC CLOSER DELIVERS AGAIN

With a five-point lead and 33 seconds left in Saturday’s semifinal, the Bucks needed a bucket to seal their spot in the Emirates NBA Cup championship.

Damian Lillard had taken just one shot all quarter, while Giannis Antetokounmpo had scored or assisted on 15 of the Bucks’ last 16 points. But after a full timeout, Milwaukee put the ball in Lillard’s hands.

With a defender on his back at midcourt, Lillard rolled, beat his man to the lane and splashed a floater to put the Bucks up seven. Ball game.

“Dame just has great courage,” said Bucks coach Doc Rivers. “Whether he’s on fire or not … he believes that he should take the last shot and make the last shot…“And he does it over and over

… it’s just amazing.”

In Tuesday’s quarterfinals against the Magic, Dame dropped 15 of his 28 points in the 4th quarter — where he leveled up again in the clutch.

The Run: Eleven of Milwaukee’s final 13 points belonged to Lillard, including a stepback 3 to tie the game with 52 seconds leftThe Dagger:

Nineteen seconds later, Lillard threw down the go-ahead dunk, and the Bucks never trailed again

In two win-or-go-home scenarios, with the entire league watching, the two clutch performances proved once again why Lillard’s one of the most feared closers in the game.

Clutch King: Since 2012-13, Lillard has the most points in the final minute of 4th quarters with 809. James Harden (728) is the only other player with 700+Big-Time Buckets: In that same span, Dame leads the NBA in last-minute field goals with 195 — 24 more than the next closest player (DeMar DeRozan: 171)Ice In His Veins:

Lillard also leads the NBA in game-winning field goals (FGM in the final 10 seconds of a game that took the lead for the last time) since 2012-13 with 11

“He’s got that prizefighter mentality,” said Rivers. “When the bell rings, he’s ready … His confidence is literally unshakeable.”

3. THUNDER STIFLE ROCKETS TO JOIN BUCKS IN NBA CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

Every bucket earned.

Thunder 111, Rockets 96: In a clash between the top two defensive teams in the league, OKC’s No. 1 ranked unit shined while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped a game-high 32 points to send the Thunder to the NBA Cup championship. | Recap

SGA Erupts: After the Rockets entered the break with a 42-41 lead, Gilgeous-Alexander flipped a switch for 20 points in the 2nd halfThunder Strike: The explosion helped OKC outscore Houston 70-54 in the 2nd half, as the Thunder took a six-point lead into the 4th and never looked backShai & The Glove: SGA added eight boards, six assists and five steals, tying Gary Payton for the second-most games of 30+ points and 5+ steals in franchise history, with sevenCore Contributions:

Isaiah Hartenstein (21), Jalen Williams (20) and Luguentz Dort (19) tallied a combined 60 points for OKC

Defense & The 3: Both defenses dominated in the 1st half, as each team was held under 34% shooting.

But OKC caught fire from 3 in the final two quarters, going 9-of-12 (75%) from downtown, while limiting Houston to seven made 3s on 27 attempts (25.9%).

Defending The Arc: The Rockets finished the game with a season-high 46 3-point attempts, but OKC held them to just 11 makes, marking Houston’s fifth-lowest percentage from 3 this season (23.9%)Lockdown: Amen Thompson led Houston with 19 points in just the Rockets’ third game this year without a 20-point scorerWho did the other two

instances come against? Golden State and — you guessed it — OKC

Holding first and third place in the West, respectively, the Thunder (20-5) are the first team in the conference to reach 20 wins, while the Rockets moved to 17-9.

Up Next: OKC faces Milwaukee in Tuesday’s winner-take-all championship for the Emirates NBA Cup. The Thunder’s key to the game?

“Defense, defense, defense,” said SGA. “If we play defense, we can outstand anybody any night.”

4. NBA CREATOR CUP TIPS OFF TONIGHT IN VEGAS

“The energy is unmatched,” said NBA Creator Cup coach Chris “Lethal Shooter” Matthews. “These creators aren’t just showing up — they’re bringing their A-game. Fans are in for something special.”

Before the NBA Cup championship on Tuesday, the PlayStation NBA Creator Cup tips off tonight in Vegas (7:30 ET, NBA App/YouTube).

How does the Creator Cup work? Brush up on the details below as some of the biggest basketball internet personalities and content creators get ready to showcase their skills in a game of hoops.

The Format: The Creator Cup is a 5 vs. 5 exhibition match between some of the most popular names on the internet, providing a unique look at their talents on the hardwoodThe Fun: In between quarters, creators from both teams will perform challenges to put their skills on displayThe Twist: For the first time, Creator Cup rosters were drafted by coaches Lethal Shooter and The Professor, making for an epic mix of sharpshooters, playmakers and viral sensationsThe History:

This the the third Creator Cup. The first coincided with last year’s NBA Cup and went to OT. The second took place during the 2024 Summer League and came down to the final possession. Watch the

wild finish here

Gearing Up: Before your favorite hoop creators hit the court tonight, they’ve been making waves in Vegas, from highlight plays to epic fan interactions.

Core Memory Made: A young fan gets a handles lesson from The Professor, two tickets to Saturday’s games and a moment that he’ll never forget“We’re Changing The Game”: The first-ever Creator-only press conference on Saturday in Vegas was one to rememberHandles & The Oop: The Professor shows off his world-class handles before tossing a lob to Chris Staples for a must-see oopWho Ya Got? The NBA Creator Cup hoopers predict which semifinalists will hoist the NBA Cup“That Was Insane”: Jesser couldn’t believe Jalen Johnson’s monster slam against the BucksInside SGA’s Dime:

Watching courtside, Lethal Shooter breaks down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s slick assist

5. LOADED SUNDAY SLATE ON LEAGUE PASS & NBA TV

After yesterday belonged to the Cup semis, Sunday brings a seven-game slate on League Pass — including the Warriors hosting Klay Thompson and the Mavs on NBA TV. Below are four Sunday showdowns you won’t want to miss:

Knicks at Magic (6 ET, LP): Both looking to bounce back from quarterfinal losses in the NBA Cup, the No. 3 and No. 4 teams in the East clash as the Magic host the Knicks.

NY5: All five of the Knicks’ starters have scored in double-figures in a league-high 16 games this season — five more than the next closest team (Nuggets: 11)Magic In Orlando:

The Magic are allowing the second-fewest ppg in the NBA (103.7) and are the only remaining unbeaten team at home (10-0), boasting a league-best 14.4 home net rating

Wolves at Spurs (7 ET, LP): Winners of five of their last six games, the Wolves have allowed an NBA-best 90.5 ppg in that span. On Sunday, they’ll look to slow down Victor Wembanyama, who posted 28 points and seven dimes in a win over Portland on Friday.

Mavericks at Warriors (8:30 ET, NBA TV): In an instant classic, Klay Thompson’s first return to the Bay on Nov. 12 saw the former Warrior score 22 points on six 3s. However, Golden State claimed a thrilling 120-117 win, fueled by Steph Curry’s 37 points and a personal 10-0 run to close the game. What will Round 2 bring?

West Champs Clicking: Despite a loss in the NBA Cup quarterfinals to OKC, Dallas has won 11 of its past 13 outings while averaging 122.5 ppg, trailing only Memphis (124.4) in that spanA Sunday Spark?

Golden State is also coming off a loss in the NBA Cup quarters and searching for a timely win with a 3-7 record in its last 10 games

Grizzlies at Lakers (9:30 ET, LP): With a 10-1 record in its last 11 outings, Ja Morant and the red-hot Grizzlies travel to Los Angeles to face Anthony Davis and the Lakers, who are 8-3 at home. Memphis leads the NBA in scoring (122.6) and enters Sunday on a four-game win streak.

Three more games take place on League Pass, including a matchup between the Celtics and Wizards as Boston seeks its 12th dub in 14 games.

Pelicans at Pacers (5 ET)Celtics at Wizards (6 ET)Blazers at Suns

(8 ET)