3 reasons the Thunder are NBA Cup favorites in Las Vegas
Yesterday at 11:20 AM
With four teams left standing, the Oklahoma City Thunder are the favorites to win the NBA Cup in Las Vegas. After the Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks 118-104 in a blowout win in the quarter-final, the Houston Rockets punched their ticket by beating the Golden State Warriors 91-90 Wednesday night to face the Thunder on Saturday in the semifinals. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks, who defeated the New York Knicks 108-100, will face the Milwaukee Bucks.
Still, the Bucks (+230) trail the Thunder (+125) for the best odds, followed by the Rockets (+400) and Hawks (+600), per DraftKings. Here are three reasons the Thunder have the best chances of winning the NBA Cup.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is dominating Thunder opponents
The Thunder’s leading scorer is All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who’s scored 35+ points in his last three consecutive games. His 12 30+ point games are second to Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo for most in the NBA this season. Gilgeous-Alexander is prone to having scoring outbursts that devastate opposing defense. Jalen Williams is the Thunder’s second-leading scorer, averaging 21.8 points this season, and has been a consistent thorn in the side of teams trying to slow the Thunder down. The duo is one of the many reasons the 19-5 Thunder have the best record in the Western Conference.
The Thunder’s wing defenders against opposing scorers
Gilgeous-Alexander says Lu Dort is the best perimeter defender in the NBA. He said so after Dort, with help from Cason Wallace, limited Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic to 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting. The suffocating defense between the two guards will play a significant role for Oklahoma City in Las Vegas as head coach Mark Daigneault has stuck with his three-guard starting lineup throughout the past two games.
Quick first and second-half starts for Thunder
When the Thunder nearly surrendered a 30-point lead in a 119-109 win against the Pelicans, the significant advantage built enough cushion for OKC to secure its victory in the final frame. The Pelicans trimmed their deficit down to nine in the fourth quarter but couldn’t get over the hump. The Thunder also tend to come out of halftime with high-scoring third-quarter production, such as outscoring the Mavericks 33-19 in Tuesday’s 118-104 win. In their final group stage matchup against the Jazz, the Thunder tacked 40 third-quarter points before cruising to a 133-106 victory.
Then, in their 129-92 win against the Raptors, they outscored their opponent 32-23. The Rockets could follow a similar path in their semifinal matchup on Saturday, with fourth-quarter execution being all the more crucial against arguably the best defense in the NBA.
The post 3 reasons the Thunder are NBA Cup favorites in Las Vegas appeared first on ClutchPoints.
