OKC Thunder Clinch NBA Cup Berth with West Group B Win

With a home win and Spurs loss Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder clinched an NBA Cup berth.

Nov 15, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) reacts during the fourth quarter of a game against the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

With a resounding win against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder unknowingly clinched the league’s West Group B of the coveted NBA Cup.

The Thunder led the Jazz nearly from start to finish, seeing a slow start to the game, but picking up the pace quickly. From there, the team relied on turnovers and bench production to put away Utah.

OKC forced 29 turnovers in total, scoring 45 points off those. All-in-all, the bench scored 58 in the rout. Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were the leaders on the night, scoring 28 and 26 points, respectively.

Despite its own blowout win, the team needed some help from Western Conference rival Phoenix on Tuesday night. The Suns faced Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in their own Cup action, cruising to a double-digit win, even with Kevin Durant leaving in the first half due to injury.

A home victory and Phoenix win was the only scenario on the night that earned OKC an auto-bid from Group B. From here, OKC will join seven other teams in the hunt for the league's second-ever tournament win.

Oklahoma City earned the bid with a 3-1 cup record, getting the edge over Phoenix with a 99-83 beatdown on Nov. 15. All in all, it earned wins over the Suns, Lakers and Jazz, its sole Cup loss coming against San Antonio just weeks ago. 

Regardless of the outcome, the Thunder are undoubtedly keeping their head down and trudging through with their patented "zero and zero" mentality.

"I don't really know much about the Cup," Thunder guard Cason Wallace said following the team's win over the Jazz.

Regardless of how the NBA Cup shakes out, Oklahoma City currently sits atop the league’s Western Conference with a 16-5 record, further separating itself from Houston by one full game.

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