Ranking OKC Thunder's 2024 NBA Cup Performances Entering Championship

The Thunder suffered one blemish in an otherwise commanding run to the Cup title game.

Dec 10, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) reacts after dunking against the Dallas Mavericks during the third quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder have won five of six 2024 Emirates NBA Cup games to secure a spot in the Tuesday night championship against the Milwaukee Bucks. Oklahoma City advanced past the Dallas Mavericks in the quarterfinals and the Houston Rockets in the Las Vegas semifinals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads all Thunder players in points per game, assists per game, true shooting percentage and total plus-minus during Cup play.

Player	PPG, TS%	RPG	APG	Plus-Minus
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	32.2 on 63.0%	6.2	6.5	+94
Jalen Williams	21.0 on 50.1%	6.0	4.0	+22
Luguentz Dort	11.7 on 56.5%	6.7	1.7	+62
Isaiah Hartenstein	11.5 on 56.2%	11.0	4.0	+18
Isaiah Joe	9.4 on 59.1%	2.4	1.8	+55
Cason Wallace	8.0 on 57.9%	4.3	3.7	+44
Aaron Wiggins	7.5 on 56.8%	2.5	0.5	+27

The Thunder has put together impressive performances during its run to the Cup championship game — five of six opponents are currently at or above .500. Let's dive into the game rankings.

6. Group stage: Spurs 110, Thunder 104

Nov 19, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) blocks a shot by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) in the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

OKC: -9.4 eFG%, +6.7 TOV%, +6.5 ORB%, -9.7% FTR

Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes scored 42 combined points with nine triples as the banged-up San Antonio Spurs handed the Thunder its only 2024 NBA Cup loss. Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, last season's Rookie of the Year and runner-up, did not play due to injuries.

San Antonio rookie Stephon Castle blocked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's layup attempt with 22 seconds remaining, spoiling a ferocious Thunder fourth-quarter comeback — Oklahoma City trailed by 21 points with under 10 minutes left but could not trim its deficit closer than six.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams' 59 combined points on 46 shots were not enough to seal a victory, as the rest of the team shot 17-for-54 (31.5%) from the field and 11-for-39 (28.2%) on 3-pointers. This was Isaiah Hartenstein's last missed game with a non-displaced left-hand fracture.

5. Group stage: Thunder 133, Jazz 106

Dec 3, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) reaches for a loose ball over Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) during the second quarter of an NBA Cup game at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

OKC: -3.3 eFG%, +19.7 TOV%, +0.8 ORB%, -14.5% FTR

The Thunder qualified for the NBA Cup knockout rounds with a complete overall performance against the overmatched Utah Jazz. Jalen Williams led all scorers with 28 points on 12-for-18 shooting. Gilgeous-Alexander recorded an efficient 26 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Reserves Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins racked up 35 combined points with seven 3-pointers.

The Thunder forced 29 Utah turnovers, the most in a single game by any team this season. GIlgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace and Wiggins each nabbed three steals to help Oklahoma City reach a season-high 18 takeaways.

The Thunder's group stage point differential was not high enough for a Wild Card spot by the night's end. The Suns topped the Spurs to ensure Oklahoma City finished atop West Group B due to a head-to-head tiebreaker with Phoenix.

4. Group stage: Thunder 101, Lakers 93

Nov 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) blocks Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

OKC: -4.9 eFG%, +8.0 TOV%, +7.8 ORB%, -9.0% FTR

Oklahoma City defeated the defending Cup champion Los Angeles Lakers in a clutch-time road thriller. Gilgeous-Alexander drilled a long pull-up triple with 95 seconds left to put the Thunder up four points, the cherry on top of his 36-point night. He made two late free throws after Max Christie inexplicably fouled him with the clock winding down.

Hartenstein contributed 11 points, 18 rebounds, five assists and an acrobatic block on Los Angeles rookie Dalton Knecht's first-quarter dunk attempt. Knecht led Lakers scorers with 20 points, making six of his 13 3-point attempts, and added six rebounds and four assists.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis struggled to score against the Thunder's No. 1 defense, logging just 27 combined points on 22 shots. James, Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell finished with 14 combined turnovers as Oklahoma City racked up 12 team steals.

3. Group stage: Thunder 99, Suns 83

Nov 15, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) and Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (20) get tangled up during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

OKC: +9.8 eFG%, +5.5 TOV%, +3.4 ORB%, -21.3% FTR

The Thunder allowed a meager 83 points against the Suns to open Cup group stage play. Phoenix's offense struggled massively without Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen, shooting 22-for-75 (29.3%) overall and 9-for-37 (24.3%) on 3-pointers.

Oklahoma City's defense combined for 11 blocks and six steals in addition to stellar shot defense. Jalen Williams, playing center with Holmgren and Hartenstein inactive, helped hold Jusuf Nurkic to 0-for-7 shooting with two turnovers. Devin Booker had a season-low 12 points on two made field goals.

The Thunder also had a night to forget on offense despite the game's comfortable margin. Gilgeous-Alexander produced 28 points on 25 shots and Jalen Williams scored 14 points on 6-for-16 shooting. Oklahoma City made 10 of its 40 triples and attempted 22 fewer free throws than the Suns.

2. Semifinals: Thunder 111, Rockets 96

Dec 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) dunks against Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the second half in a semifinal of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada/Pool Photo-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada/Pool Photo-Imagn Images

OKC: +9.7 eFG%, +1.7 TOV%, -21.0 ORB%, +19.4% FTR

Oklahoma City scored just 18 first-quarter points on 7-for-23 shooting but rode a 70-point second half to push past Houston. Gilgeous-Alexander made 14 of 15 free-throw attempts to offset an erroneous shooting night. Isaiah Hartenstein racked up a career-high 21 points on 12 shots. Luguentz Dort went 5-for-9 from deep.

The Rockets accumulated 15 more offensive rebounds than the Thunder, leading to 16 more shot attempts, yet shot 35-for-96 (36.5%) from the field. Fred VanVleet scored eight points on 3-for-15 shooting after recording a season-high 38 points in the teams' last matchup. Houston made 11 of its 46 3-point attempts and went 15-for-25 at the line.

1. Quarterfinals: Thunder 118, Mavericks 104

Dec 10, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) drives between Oklahoma City Thunder guards Luguentz Dort (5) and Alex Caruso (9) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

OKC: -1.5 eFG%, +5.8 TOV%, +14.8 ORB%, -10.4% FTR

The Thunder exacted some revenge on the Mavericks to advance to Las Vegas, as the road team won last season's second-round series in six games and the first 2024-25 matchup by two points. Gilgeous-Alexander tallied a meticulous 39 points on 15-for-23 shooting, including five threes, and added eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. Oklahoma City shot 20-for-50 from downtown.

Luka Doncic scored 16 points on 15 shots and coughed up six turnovers against the Thunder's relentless perimeter defense, who blitzed him consistently beyond the 3-point line. Naji Marshall and Klay Thompson fueled Dallas' offense with 38 combined points on 14 made field goals.

Hartenstein and Wallace grabbed nine offensive rebounds to help Oklahoma City win that category by 10. The Mavericks totaled 11 more offensive boards in their first meeting this season.

The Thunder play the Bucks in the Emirates NBA Cup championship tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. CST.

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