The NBA Cup Final features two of the biggest names in the sport, figuratively and literally. That’s because the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo will face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
It seems appropriate that those names will be lit up by the bright lights of Las Vegas with the game being played at T-Mobile Arena.
And with names this big you know we’ve got to have some Bucks vs Thunder props to go along with them.
Here are my NBA picks for the NBA Cup Final on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Best Bucks vs Thunder props for tonight
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Lillard Over 4.5 rebounds (+115 at bet365) -
Dort Over 2.5 threes (+125 at bet365) - Gilgeous-Alexander Over 5.5 rebounds (-115 at bet365)
Picks made on 12-17
Bucks vs Thunder player props for December 17
Prop bet #1: Damian Lillard Over 4.5 Rebounds
I love the Oklahoma City Thunder. I love Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. And I think a win in tonight’s NBA Cup Final could be a precursor to what we see from OKC in June.
That said, I will still happily fade them on the glass with opposing player rebounding props. The Thunder are great at a lot of things. It’s just rebounding isn’t one of them. Now, some of that is due to injuries but it doesn’t change the fact that OKC enters this matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks ranked 28th in the NBA when it comes to rebounding rate and dead last in opponent rebounds per game.
So, the question becomes, which Bucks player to back on the boards in this matchup? Giannis Antetokounmpo is still a monster on the boards averaging 11.5 rebounds per game this season but 12.5 is a big number, even for the Greek Freak.
Instead, I turn to one of the smaller Bucks, guard Damian Lillard. Lillard is known for his scoring and playmaking prowess but he’s also Milwaukee’s fourth-leading rebounder, averaging 4.5 per contest.
His rebounding prop is set at 4.5 for this one with the Over getting decent plus money. It’s a number he’s gone over in six of his last 11 games and three of his last four overall. At this price, in this matchup, I’m happy to back him to do it again.
Prop bet #2: Lu Dort Over 2.5 Made Threes
+125 at bet365
As noted, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the biggest names in this NBA Cup Final (literally) but the winner of this great matchup will need some of its secondary players to step up.
So, let’s go from the longest name to the shortest, Lu Dort. The Oklahoma City Thunder 3-and-D specialist may not be scoring as much as in years past, but he is arguably having the best shooting season of his career and enters this big game dialed in from beyond the arc.
Dort is shooting a career-best 40.3% from 3-point range on 5.6 attempts per game for the Thunder this season and he is shooting the lights out right now.
The 25-year-old has hit 12-of-23 (52.2%) attempts from deep over the last three games, including going 5-for-9 in OKC’s semifinal matchup against the Houston Rockets. So, shooting in T-Mobile Arena doesn’t seem to be a problem for Dort.
Now, he’ll face a Milwaukee Bucks team that is mediocre at defending the perimeter, ranking 14 in opponent 3-point attempts per game and 15th in opponent 3-point shooting percentage.
Dort’s threes made prop for this NBA Cup Final is sitting at 2.5 with the over at a tantalizing +125. He has topped this number in three consecutive games and four of his last seven overall. That price is good enough to back Dort to keep the hot hand tonight.
More NBA Cup Final picks from Covers
- Bucks vs. Thunder predictions
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander odds and props
- Giannis Antetokounmpo odds and props
- Daily DraftKings Pick 6
- Free NBA picks and predictions
Prop bet #3: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 5.5 Rebounds
-115 at bet365
You knew we had to have a prop for one of the big boys for the NBA Cup Final. For that, we turn to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Oklahoma City Thunder point guard is truly playing at an MVP level. SGA enters this matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks averaging 30.3 points, with 6.3 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game.
While it seems that Gilgeous-Alexander is already doing it all, the Thunder point guard is doing even more work cleaning the glass recently. SGA’s rebounds have bumped up to 6.4 over the last eight games which includes him hauling down eight boards in each of the Thunder’s last two games.
And OKC isn’t the only team in this matchup that has struggled on the boards this season. The Bucks rank 21st in rebounding rate and 22nd in opponent rebounds per game.
SGA’s rebounding prop is on the board at a modest 5.5. That’s a number he has eclipsed in six of his last eight games and I like his chances to keep that going tonight in Las Vegas.
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