NBA Cup Best Bets For Tuesday, Dec. 17: Thunder To Open Strong

By Braxton Reynolds | Jan 09, 2025, 10:58am

The Milwaukee Bucks take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the finale of the NBA Cup today. The game tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Keep reading for NBA Cup best bets below, and bet with your favorite sportsbook apps.

NBA Best Bets For Tuesday, Dec. 17

Check out three bets below for the NBA Cup championship on Tuesday.

Gary Trent Jr. Over 1.5 Made Threes (-120 DraftKings) & 3+ Made Threes (+235 DraftKings)

Although Milwaukee moved Gary Trent Jr. to the bench in early November, his usage is stable because the Bucks value his outside shooting and off-ball gravity. Check out Trent Jr.’s stats over the past 14 games.

26.6 minutes per game
47.4 3PT% on 5.4 attempts per game
2+ made threes in 11 of 14 games
3+ made threes in nine of 14 games

The veteran is lighting up opponents from deep, and he owns a tantalizing matchup here.

Oklahoma City’s defense excels at extinguishing rim-scorers and pick-and-roll ball handlers, but spot-up shooters can carve it up. For example, it has surrendered the third-most catch-and-shoot jumpers and most corner attempts per game.

Look for Trent Jr. to capitalize on the attention that Milwaukee’s stars will draw and knock down a pair of triples.

1st Quarter Thunder -1.5 (-105 FanDuel)

OKC is pummeling opponents by 19.2 points per 100 possessions in the first quarter so far this season. Meanwhile, its starting lineup for this matchup has played 189 possessions together and bested opponents by 12.1 points per 100 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass.

Luguentz Dort and Cason Wallace are elite defensive options to throw at Damian Lillard, and the Thunder can somewhat deter Giannis Antetokounmpo’s rim attempts via Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein. Overall, there’s no defensive weak link in OKC’s starting lineup, but the same cannot be said of Milwaukee’s unit.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander First Thunder Field Goal (+225 DraftKings)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has taken Oklahoma City’s first shot in 32% of his starts, which is the largest rate among the starters.

He meets a suspect Bucks defense that’s giving up the most points per game to point guards this season and struggles mightily to contain the point of attack. Milwaukee does not possess a good option to throw at SGA here, and the superstar tends to aggressively attack mismatches when available. I expect him to come out firing early, especially if the Thunder force a switch with Lillard.

Braxton Reynolds

Braxton has been covering the NBA for Lineups since the 2022 season. He's worked with multiple collegiate coaching staffs regarding analytics and scouting, which has allowed him to understand the game on a deeper level. Braxton is also a contributor at Thunderous Intentions.