OKC Thunder Star on Potential NBA Cup Win: ‘It Would Mean a Lot’

Oklahoma City isn’t taking the NBA Cup lightly in Las Vegas.

Dec 10, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) speaks to a tv reporter after his team defeated the Dallas Mavericks at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City has a chance to prove itself on a national stage in Las Vegas this weekend. The Thunder qualified for the NBA Cup semifinals and will square off against a familiar foe — the Houston Rockets. Should the Thunder win, the team would see Atlanta or Milwaukee in the championship game.

Plenty has been said about the NBA Cup — some love it, while others think it’s meaningless. It’s not meaningless for the players, though. Multiple Thunder stars have mentioned the significance to bring home the trophy and some extra cash for the young players on the bench.

Oklahoma City’s star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wants to win simply because it’s another opportunity to win. High stakes, elimination games being out the best in players like SGA.

“It would mean a lot,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It's the opportunity to win, play the game at a high level. As a kid, you tie your shoes up and play AAU ball to win the tournament at the weekend. You go to college to try to win NCAA Tournament or the tournament at the beginning of the season, the Maui Invitational, whatever it's called.

“You're always trying to win. That's my mindset. That's my teammates' mindset. You're always trying to win. So it would be an opportunity for us to win and do something we love every day, play basketball.”

Oklahoma City has split the season series with Houston 1-1 to this point in the year. It’s an ever bigger matchup between the team’s because the Thunder and the Rockets sit at No. 1 and No. 2 in the Western Conference.

Now 24 games into the season, Oklahoma City has been the NBA’s most dominant team. With a 19-5 overall record, the Thunder are outscoring opponents by an average of 12.0 points per game. Even without Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein on the floor together, the Thunder’s system is shining on both ends of the floor.

For the young team, it’ll have to be a healthy balance of prioritizing the importance of the Cup, but treating each game individually as another matchup on the schedule. The moment can’t be too big or too small.

“Like I said, we have a team that's so involved with ourselves and we get along so well, this doesn't really feel too new, outside the media circuit,” Jalen Williams said. “So it's just another game. We're going to go out there and play the way we do usually and let the chips fall where they fall. 

“We've done a good job of just being within the team and understanding what's at stake every time we play.”

Make no mistake, Oklahoma City wants the title of NBA Cup champions. It’ll be another test for a young team that experienced its first taste of playoff basketball a season ago. It’s also another chance for the Thunder to play in front of the country on national television — something that, for some reason, won’t happen often this year. The stakes are high in the Las Vegas.

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