The NBA Cup Finals will be the focus of the basketball world, live from Las Vegas, with the second trophy to be awarded on Tuesday night.

The Oklahoma City Thunder – perhaps the best team in the league – have dominated the competition so far this year and will face off against the up-and-coming Milwaukee Bucks.

Milwaukee initially looked like a shell of its once dominant self, but has since righted the ship under coach Doc Rivers.

The Thunder are five-point favorites, according to Bet365, Sportsbook, with the Bucks’ moneyline at +165.

Bucks vs. Thunder odds

team	Spread	Money line	In total
dollar	+5 (-111)	+165	Over 216 (-110)
thunder	-5 (-109)	-200	under 216-110)

Bucks vs Thunder prediction

Oklahoma City is the best defensive team in the NBA by defensive rating, while the Bucks can’t come close to that defensive prowess because Damian Lillard is constantly allowing blowbys on that end of the court.

However, Milwaukee has a strong offensive lineup with a top-10 offense by offensive net rating.

And we know that the Bucks have the potential to be a true NBA championship team thanks to all-around superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

But this matchup will be extremely difficult for Milwaukee because Oklahoma City has so many defensemen to offer the “Greek Freak.”

Antetokounmpo faces a combination of Luguentz Dort, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams every time he touches the ball.

In a high-pressure game like this, it’s hard to expect him to get enough fouls to truly dominate the game.

I expect the Thunder to come out of this game with a win and cover the spread.

As far as props go, you can expect aging star Khris Middleton to get plenty of runway space in this film, assuming he’s active.

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Betting on the NBA?

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Middleton has an ESPN BET rating of over 7.5 rebounds + assists, which is a +105, a number he has averaged in all but one game this season.

Be sure to check the match reports before the game, but if he doesn’t play the bet will be void.

PICKS: Thunder -5 (-109, Bet365) | Khris Middleton over 7.5 rebounds + assists (+105, ESPN BET)

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Why you should trust New York Post Betting

Erich Richter is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blue belt, but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During football season, he made huge profits in the player prop market during his final two seasons at The Post. Although he is constantly betting on distance, his return on investment since 2022 is 30.15 percent.