NBA Cup 2024: It’s the Final Four! What to know for Bucks-Hawks, Thunder-Rockets

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With a 30-team field of hopefuls now whittled down to a final four, the NBA-watching world now trains its attention on Las Vegas. Welcome to the semifinals of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup. Grab a beverage, sit down, stay a spell; Trae’s got a hot hand.

Two teams from each conference — the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets from the West, the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks from the East — will square off in a Saturday doubleheader to determine which squads will have the chance to compete for the NBA Cup. Let’s set the table for what’s sure to be a thrilling conclusion by revisiting how we got here, and taking a look at some things to keep an eye on in each of our two semifinal tilts:

Where we left off

In the East:

Playing without injured leading scorers Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, the Magic mounted about as valiant an effort as you could ask for against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. Orlando dominated the offensive glass, forced 16 Milwaukee turnovers, and led the top-seeded and favored Bucks in the final minute behind a career-high 32 points from guard Jalen Suggs.

But after a clutch triple and driving finish by Damian Lillard put Milwaukee back on top, Suggs came up just short on two long balls — one for the lead, the other for a tie — that allowed the Bucks to finish off a 114-109 win, stay undefeated in the tournament, and punch their tickets to Vegas.

They’ll face the Hawks, who took down the East-leading Cavaliers and Celtics en route to winning East Group C … and who kept their tournament run alive by defanging another top offense at Madison Square Garden.

The revamped Hawks surround All-Star point guard Trae Young with a ton of size: Centers Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu stand 6-foot-10; forwards Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher and De’Andre Hunter all go 6-foot-8; ascendant defensive menace Dyson Daniels flanks Trae at 6-foot-7. Atlanta brought all that height, length and athleticism to bear on the Knicks, holding Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the rest of New York’s red-hot offense to just 46 points on 19-for-49 shooting in the second half while owning the offensive…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-cup-2024-its-the-final-four-what-to-know-for-bucks-hawks-thunder-rockets-164519391.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-12-13 16:45:00

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