Bucks vs. Thunder NBA Cup score, live updates: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vie for NBA’s midseason crown

A pair of the NBA’s biggest stars will take center stage in Las Vegas Tuesday night as the NBA crowns an NBA Cup champion in the second year of the in-season tournament. Last year, LeBron James led the Los Angeles Lakers to the title, and this year, another star player will etch his name in the growing legacy of the event. Will it be two-time league MVP — and 2021 NBA Finals MVP — Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the crown, or will 2024 MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to their first team trophy?

The Thunder have the NBA’s best record, and will be looking to make this celebration a prelude to another one in June. Gilgeous-Alexander has had back-to-back top-five MVP finishes and is on his way to another, averaging 30.3 points, 6.3 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game, leading five Thunder players who are averaging in double figures this season. Antetokounmpo is turning in his now-standard Hall of Fame numbers again this season, averaging a league-leading 32.7 points per game this year. It would be a career-high, a third-straight season averaging 30-plus and his first scoring title if he can keep up the pace on a blistering 61.4% from the floor.

How to watch Bucks vs. Thunder NBA Cup championship game