Is Jaylin Williams playing tonight against Milwaukee Bucks in NBA Cup Final?
The OKC Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks clash in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as the first piece of silverware of the season is up for grabs. Thunder's Jaylin Williams will be watching from the sidelines as the two swashbuckling teams go head-to-head in the Emirates NBA Cup Finals on Tuesday.
Williams has been nursing a hamstring injury since the start of the season and hasn't played a single minute. During rehab, Williams worsened the injury, which will keep him out for another 4-6 weeks.
However, Williams has been super invested in the NBA Cup, reminding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and others all day about the $515K grand prize money.
"J-Will is less into the scenarios and more into the money," Gilgeous-Alexander said earlier this month.
Either the Bucks will take home their first-ever NBA Cup trophy, or the Thunder will be bringing an end to their infamous 45-year barren spell without any silverware.
Jaylin Williams' stats vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Jaylin Williams has faced the Bucks four times in his three-year NBA career, averaging 12.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
This will be the first time Williams will miss a game against the Bucks. Since being drafted in 2022 as the 34th overall pick, he's played in every Bucks matchup over the past two years. His highest score against the Bucks was 18 points, which he achieved last season.
What to expect from OKC Thunder vs Milwaukee Bucks?
The two teams have met 151 times in the league's regular season history, with the Bucks winning 77-74.
Thunder’s road to the final saw them topping the group that had the LA Lakers, Spurs, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz with a 3-1 record. In the quarterfinals, they defeated the Dallas Mavericks 118-104 before defeating their rivals the Houston Rockers 111-96 in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, the Bucks were the only team to win every game in the group stage, and they also have a coach in Darvin Ham who has yet to suffer a single defeat in the tournament. Despite a horrific start to the season, the Bucks have defied their doubters and bounced back from several setbacks along the way.