Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton missed practice Monday because of illness, leaving his status for the NBA Cup final against the Oklahoma City Thunder somewhat unclear.

The Oklahoma City Thunder extended their stay in Las Vegas by three days. They advanced to the 2024 NBA Cup finals with a semifinal win over the Houston Rockets. They will face the Milwaukee Bucks with the financial grand prize on the line.

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.

When the Milwaukee Bucks clinched their spot in the NBA Cup championship game, plenty of the team’s younger and lesser-paid players were exuberant in the locker room.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each finished with 32 points to lead their teams past the Hawks and Rockets, respectively.

Bucks guard Khris Middleton missed practice Monday because of illness, leaving his status for the NBA Cup final against the Thunder somewhat unclear.

The Bucks practiced without two of their stars on Monday afternoon in Las Vegas in advance of the Emirates NBA Cup final.