LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NBA Cup championship game is Tuesday night in Las Vegas, with the Milwaukee Bucks taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It’s a game that only counts for tournament purposes. There’s about $300,000 in additional bonus money for players on the winning team, but the win, the loss and the statistics from the game won’t count toward the regular season.
Each of the other 66 games played during the tournament counted in the standings and stats. The reason that the championship game does not is that it would become an 83rd game for the Bucks and Thunder — while all other teams are scheduled to play the conventional 82-game slate.
Oklahoma City (20-5) has the best record in the Western Conference and the third-best record in the NBA behind only Cleveland and Boston. The Thunder have also won five straight games, the longest current winning streak in the league.
Milwaukee (14-11) has won 12 of its last 15 games, shaking off a 2-8 start.
Milwaukee got to the final after beating Orlando in the quarterfinals and Atlanta in the semifinals. Oklahoma City made it to the title game by topping Dallas in the quarterfinals and Houston in the semifinals.
The Bucks are 11-1 all-time in Cup games, 6-0 this season. The Thunder are 6-4 all-time in Cup games, 5-1 this season.
The Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural event last season when it was simply called the In-Season Tournament, beating the Indiana Pacers in the final.
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