The NBA Cup, now sponsored by Emirates and no longer called the In-Season Tournament, is back!  There was a lot of trepidation about the first edition of the NB

For the second consecutive season, the NBA will have an in-season tournament during the 2024-25 campaign. Officially branded the Emirates NBA Cup, all 30 teams around the league will compete for a chance to win a championship and prize money.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Phoenix Suns on Friday. It'll be the first matchup between the two squads. It is also the first NBA Cup group game for OKC. The Thunder (10-2) continue their season-long six-game homestand.

The Thunder will tip off their first NBA Cup game on Friday and could make an early-season run after establishing themselves as a contender last season. In its second edition, known as the In-Season Tournament last season,

Currently, OKC holds the 8th spot in points per game (PPG) with an average of 116.4 and ranks 2nd in opponent points per game (OPPG), allowing just 103.8. Meanwhile, the Suns rank

Devin Booker takes on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as we continue our NBA odds series with a Suns-Thunder prediction and pick.

While the Thunder have fared well in the two games since Chet Holmgren's pelvic fracture, they're facing a much larger opponent in the Phoenix Suns. With Kevin Durant sidelined though, it'll be an interesting matchup.