What to watch this week in NBA: Cup final, Thunder-Magic, Towns returns to Minnesota

The past few days in the league had a decidedly late-90s, early-2000s feel to them. Every NBA Cup elimination game went comfortably under on the point total, save for an Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks quarterfinal that hit the over on last-second free throws. The Atlanta Hawks clamped the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, and the Houston Rockets pinned the Golden State Warriors to 90 points, then got held under 100 by the Oklahoma City Thunder’s voracious defense.

Three home teams were held to double-digit scoring on Sunday alone. Dyson Daniels is vying to average three steals a game for the first time since Alvin Robertson did it in 1990-91. And Victor Wembanyama’s 3.58 blocks per game is on pace to be the highest mark since Hassan Whiteside in 2015-16.

This week’s primetime schedule is a bit light around the in-season tournament finale. But Milwaukee vs. Oklahoma City on Tuesday is a banger of a Las Vegas marquee. We’ll also see Karl-Anthony Towns return to Minnesota for the first time since that stunning preseason trade and get another look at the dominant Cleveland Cavaliers. Here’s your viewing guide for the week ahead in professional basketball.

Milwaukee Bucks at Oklahoma City Thunder

Tuesday, 3:30 p.m., ABC

Would David Stern be pumped about a Cup final between Milwaukee and Oklahoma City? This matchup is awesome, regardless of market size and TV ratings. The Bucks and Thunder conclude the second-ever in-season tournament from Las Vegas on Tuesday, with OKC opening as a 4.5-point favorite.

The Thunder are a wagon in this NBA Cup. They have just one loss since Nov. 20 and have won their last five outings by double digits. In last week’s quarterfinal, they wholly disoriented the streaking Mavericks, forcing 19 turnovers of an excellent offense. Then, they beat the Rockets by 15 on Saturday, hanging 111 points on one of the sport’s elite defenses.

OKC holds opponents to the worst 3-point shooting in the league and the second-worst mark for 2-pointers. Its defense borders a historic steals rate, with four players averaging at least 1.8 swipes. What do you do with all this when the Thunder are also in the top 10 in offensive rating, tout the best free-throw percentage in the league and have an MVP candidate scoring 30 points a game? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rightfully earns the headlines, but third-year flex wing Jalen Williams has been nothing short of outstanding thus far.

Milwaukee will, of course, want to take home the midseason hardware (and that $500K per-person Bellagio slush fund), but Doc Rivers and company must be relieved to at least salvage their season. The Bucks were pushed to the cliff’s edge, took a long, uncomfortable stare down below, and then coolly walked back to safety. Across a 12-3 stretch in its last 15 games, Milwaukee is a blistering 40.9 percent from behind the arc and second in clutch minutes plus-minus. They controlled elimination games against the stout and spirited Magic and Hawks while integrating Khris Middleton back into the lineup.

Giannis Anteto-kounmpo was one assist shy of a triple-double Saturday. Entering this Cup final, the infernal superstar has career-highs in points per game (32.7, best in the league) and field goal percentage (61.4, which is just loopy). Critically, he’s also averaging his fewest turnovers since 2016-17, when Antetokounmpo was known as the NBA’s Most Improved Player and not the two-time MVP he is now.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Orlando Magic

Thursday, 2 p.m, TNT

The stakes: Here’s a high-visibility look for the Magic to prove their mettle. The oblique injuries to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are gutting, but this group is still treading around the East behind an inspired and grinding defense. Across the last seven games, Orlando has been 10th in defensive rating, seventh in steals and first in blocked shots. Jalen Suggs is elevating his game and has subsequently vaulted into Defensive Player of the Year odds (sixth on BetMGM at +3000). Goga Bitadze and Moritz Wagner have been unexpectedly forceful on the glass.

The fun: Stuff the Magic Dragon, Orlando’s mascot, unfurls party streamers from its nose after consequential shots on its baseline. It also has a proclivity for doing stuff on ladders.

Most important trade: June 23, 2016 — Is this my second Serge Ibaka name-drop of this column? You bet it is. The Thunder sent its longtime big man to the Magic in exchange for Ersan İlyasova, Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. Ibaka played just 56 games in Orlando before getting dealt to Toronto, where he’d help the Raptors level up and win their first title. Oladipo and Sabonis were packaged to the Pacers for Paul George, and both players became All-Stars in Indiana. George, of course, ended up fetching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a bevy of draft capital from the LA Clippers. We’re still feeling the reverberations today.

New York Knicks at Minnesota Timberwolves

Thursday, 4:30 p.m., TNT

The stakes: Karl-Anthony Towns comes home to the team that drafted him first overall in 2015. As a nine-year member of one of the league’s most beleaguered franchises, Towns earned Rookie of the Year honors, was a four-time All-Star and helped anchor the team to its first conference championship in two decades. Towns triumphantly shouted out the new city across his jersey after hitting a road dagger last week. He’ll absolutely come out firing on Thursday. Not for nothing, ex-Knicks Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo will also seek revenge after they, too, were shipped out of town following memorable runs for a struggling organization.

The “what!?”: Tom Thibodeau’s minutes distribution. It’s a nonconference game in the middle of December, and the Knicks’ top strategist will almost certainly deploy his starters for 34-to-40 minutes. In Sunday’s win over Orlando, Towns played more than 43 minutes, Mikal Bridges clocked a shade under 41, and Jalen Brunson added a full 38. Josh Hart had the “easiest” day playing 33 switch-heavy minutes. With Precious Achiuwa back from injury, New York has lengthened its early-season rotation to … eight players. What?

Head-to-head: New York leads 36-30. These two have split the season series every year since 2019.

Milwaukee Bucks at Cleveland Cavaliers

Friday, 2:30 p.m., NBA TV

The stakes: Even with Milwaukee’s recent surge through the NBA Cup and Boston’s status as reigning champs, these Cavaliers are still the best team in the East right now. Cleveland isn’t afforded many national broadcasts, so Friday sets the stage for another massive statement game. Kenny Atkinson’s team enters the week with just one loss in December. It is third in net rating and third in Basketball Reference’s weighted SRS. And the Cavs’ fleet-footed front court of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen is uniquely equipped to battle Antetokounmpo.

The fun: Cue the Victory Frog. In November, Cleveland’s fan account said it would keep posting a dancing inflated frog until the Cavs took an L. What an opportune time for a 15-game win streak. Ribbit up, I guess.

Last buzzer-beater: Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings buried a 3-pointer to walk it off on Nov. 3, 2012. That game’s leading scorer was Mike Dunleavy Jr., who hopped off the bench for 29 points on 10-of-12 shooting.