NBA Best Bets Today: Emirates NBA Cup Quarterfinal December 10, 2024

Two NBA Cup quarterfinals are on tap Tuesday night, but excitement isn't overflowing. The diehard hoopsters might enjoy a little flavor to mundane December games, but your average sports fan isn't caught up in 'Who's going to win the NBA Cup?' chatter.

It's only Year 2 of the competition, so who knows—it could catch on and become a bigger thing. The Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural one last season for those who are keeping track.

A look at two quarterfinal matchups—the Orlando Magic visiting the Milwaukee Bucks in the East and the Dallas Mavericks playing at the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West—featuring a good collection of players: Luka, Giannis, SGA and Dame.

We'll also dissect the Jimmy V matchup between Arkansas and Michigan. One of those teams is ranked. It isn't John Calipari's team.

ORLANDO MAGIC AT MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Milwaukee started off very poorly by losing eight of its first 10 games but quickly turned things around by winning nine of the next 10. Former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is bothered by right knee pain, but you'd never know it by his play, which includes scoring at least 30 points in seven of the past eight games.

There's also been room for "Dame Time," as Damian Lillard scored 20 or more points in eight straight games before struggling with 15 points on 2-of-7 shooting to go with seven turnovers in Sunday's 118-113 road victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

The Magic also wobbled at the start by losing six of their first nine games before winning 12 of their next 13. The bad thing for Orlando is that its best player, Franz Wagner, tore his right oblique last Friday and might not return until February.

The injury comes at a time in which Paolo Banchero remains out with his own oblique injury. That leaves Jalen Suggs as the top scoring option or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope exploding with a big outing, so we see the Bucks as the better play.

Bucks -7 spread, -112 (DraftKings)

DALLAS MAVERICKS AT OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Luka Doncic and the Mavericks are playing superb basketball with seven straight victories and 11 in their past 12 games. Luka somehow has turned Kyrie Irving into an unselfish player, a good teammate, and apparently a better person. Wow, per that last one.

Of course, Luka is the show, and he has posted triple-doubles in each of the past two games and has scored 30 or more points in eight of his last 13 appearances. Irving has topped 20 in six of the past seven games and has made six treys in three of the past six contests.

The Thunder have won seven of their past eight games and have fared well without big man Chet Holmgren (pelvis). It never hurts having Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on your team and he has scored 30 or more points in eight of the last 10 games.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points when the Thunder dropped a 121-119 decision against the Mavericks on Nov. 17 when Doncic (knee) was sidelined. So if Dallas could win in OKC without Luka, it surely can at least cover the spread in the rematch.

Mavericks +4.5 spread, -112 (DraftKings)

MICHIGAN WOLVERINES VS. ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS

New coach Dusty May is reviving Michigan fast, and seven straight wins have pushed the No. 14 Wolverines into the Top 25. May famously guided Florida Atlantic to the Final Four two seasons ago, and one of his players there, Vladislav Goldin, followed him to Michigan and has scored 24 and 20 points over the past two games.

The Wolverines are about balance, as four players average between 12.0 and 12.2 points per game. Michigan just won at then-No. 11 Wisconsin and this contest against the athletic Razorbacks will be a good test.

Calipari is attempting to implement his approach with the Arkansas players, and he admits he's still waiting for things to click. One of his former Kentucky players, Adou Thiero, is thriving and scored 26 points in each of the last two games.

One of Calipari's new players is Johnell Davis, one of the stars of Florida Atlantic's famous team. Entertaining, but Calipari appears headed to his third loss in 10 games at his new school.

Michigan -4 spread, -108 (DraftKings)