The Milwaukee Bucks face the Oklahoma City Thunder in Tuesday’s NBA Cup final in Las Vegas (8:30 p.m. ET on ABC).

The Bucks are undefeated in Cup play while the Thunder are 3-1. Oklahoma has also had success outside of the tournament and has a record of 20-5 – good enough for first place in the Western Conference. Milwaukee has struggled to start the season, but has gone 8-2 in its last 10 games.

The Bucks appear to have found their way and may have an unconventional advantage. Assistant coach Darvin Ham is 13-0 in NBA Cup games, dating back to his tenure as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers last season.

Whoever emerges victorious will be crowned the winner of the second NBA Cup. Here’s a look at the key numbers for the NBA Cup Finals.

Age is just a number

The Bucks and Thunder arrive on opposite ends of the age spectrum on Tuesday.

When measured by playing time weighting – which reflects the age of the players actually on the court, not just the roster – Milwaukee is the oldest team in the NBA this season, with an average age of 30.21. The Thunder are fourth youngest at 24.857, just behind the Utah Jazz (24.856), Portland Trail Blazers (24.63) and Washington Wizards (24.08).

That made no difference for either side. Each team’s leading scorer – Giannis Antetokounmpo for Milwaukee and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for Oklahoma City – are just four years apart in age.

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Stars in the midst of unforgettable runs

It was a strong performance for Antetokounmpo and Gilgeous-Alexander.

The Bucks star leads the NBA in points per game (32.7) while the Thunder star is fourth (30.3), both supported by consistent performances and a similar shot chart. Antetokounmpo is first in paint points per game (21.5), while Gilgeous-Alexander is fourth (13.3) among qualified players — despite the two having a five-inch height difference.

They enter Tuesday with a 20-point streak spanning 23 and 21 games. Antetokounmpo has scored at least 20 points in every game this season, including a whopping 59 on November 13th. Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 20 points in all but one game.

It is only the sixth time in the last 40 seasons that opposing players have met while on a 20-point streak of 20 or more games at the time of their matchup. And both counts are safe – the NBA Cup Finals don’t count toward a player’s or team’s stats, so it doesn’t count for or against streaks either

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The players have made a name for themselves

Damian Lillard has looked more like himself in his second season with the Bucks.

The guard has increased his points, rebounds, assists and field goal percentage. His 25.7 points per game are his second-highest since the 2020-21 season. He and Antetokounmpo are also one of two teammate duos who each average 25 points per game – Kevin Durant and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns are the other. Jalen Williams has developed well with the Thunder in his third NBA season. He is averaging career highs in points (21.7), rebounds (6.1), assists (5.0) and steals (2.0) per game. Williams and Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic are the only two players currently averaging 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals per game.

However, Williams was just as effective — if not more effective — defensively, making him a prime candidate to defend Lillard.

According to Second Spectrum, Williams ranks third among over 175 players who have defended at least 35 direct isolations this season, allowing just 0.625 points per direct isolation as a ball-handler defender.

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Defense is key

Oklahoma City is on the cusp of the NBA Cup thanks to an elite defense.

The Thunder rank first in defensive efficiency (103.1), steals per game (12.2), points scored (103.4), and field goal percentage (42.4%) per game. They have also held their opponents under 100 points in a league-high 11 games this season, going 11-0 in those instances.

Milwaukee’s defense ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of efficiency, but is led by Antetokounmpo and center Brook Lopez.

Antetokounmpo is allowing 42.4% from the field as the closest defender per Second Spectrum, on pace to post his best stat line since winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2019-20. Lopez is allowing 44.9% of shots from the field, ranking fourth among 63 players who have made at least 150 field goal attempts in the paint this season, according to Second Spectrum.

ESPN Research contributed to this report.