Through the game’s first nine minutes, the Thunder scored only nine points. Through 12, the teams combined to shoot 13-for-47, including 4-for-22 on 3-pointers. They had nine turnovers, which weren’t debilitating to either squad because nobody was capable of turning even the mistakes into easy points.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — It was midway through the third quarter of the Oklahoma City-Houston NBA Cup semifinal matchup on Saturday night. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just made a short jumper in the lane and, to his delight, a time-out was immediately called. He needed it.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo headline the NBA Cup finals. Both MVP candidates can utilize the national platform to boost their MVP cases. While the Thunder have been the league's best team, the Bucks are always a viable title threat and have recently played better.