From December 5th, December 11th: Bucks and Thunder travel to Vegas for two more NBA Cup quarters tonight

If the confirmation email lands in your inbox to secure your weekend trip to Las Vegas.

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5 STORIES IN TODAY’S ISSUE 🏀

December 11, 2024

Bucks Edge Magic: Giannis worked early and Dame finished to send Bucks to the semi-finals of the Emirates NBA Cup

Thunder Top Mavs: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and elite defense are key to OKC’s advance

Giannis & Shai: Two of the NBA’s best scorers are in the spotlight in Vegas

Knicks vs. Hawks: “The Garden” opens a new chapter in a growing rivalry

Rockets vs. Warriors: Two West top five teams fight in the first elimination duel since ’18

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BUT FIRST… ⏰

The quarterfinals end tonight…

Two tickets to the semi-finals of the Emirates NBA Cup in Vegas were beaten. Two more follow tonight as the quarterfinals conclude: The Knicks host the Hawks (7 ET, ESPN) and the Warriors visit the Rockets (9:30 ET, TNT).

The Emirates NBA Cup winner will be crowned in Las Vegas, after the semifinals and championship on December 14 and 17, respectively. And you can be there and experience it live. Don’t miss your chance – tap here to secure your tickets now!

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1. BUCKS RESOLVE MAGIC LATE TO RETURN TO CUP SEMI-FINALS

The Milwaukee Bucks we go back to Las Vegas.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard They combined for 65 points as the Bucks beat the Magic 114-109 on Tuesday to become the first team to reach the NBA Cup semifinals in consecutive years. | Summary | Watch The Final 3:31

Giannis went to work early — scored 32 of his game-high 37 points in the first three quarters as Milwaukee built a 10-point lead.

• The NBA’s leading scorer posted his 15th game with more than 30 points and his eighth game with more than 35 points – both league highs
• Giannis added Seven boards, four blocks and two steals while Bobby Portis came up big off the bench (22 points, 10 digs).

Lady took over late, He scored 15 of his 28 points in Game 4 as the Bucks eliminated a feisty Magic squad that fought to the end despite being undermanned.

A big month: Tuesday’s win was the final moment of a remarkable season turnaround for the Bucks.

• On November 10th The Bucks fell to 2-8 to open the season, their worst start in over a decade, and finished 14th in the East
• On December 10th The Bucks are now 11-3 in their last 14 games, including 5-0 in the NBA Cup, and have moved to 6th place in the conference

Meanwhile, Orlando’s NBA Cup is underway comes to an end after another tough performance.

• The magic made no excuses when they lost Paolo Banchero at the end of October
• What have you done? Over the next 20 games, they posted a 13-7 record and climbed to third place in the East
• As Franz Wagner With Banchero on the injured list, that resilient attitude didn’t change as they were neck-and-neck with the Bucks until the final whistle on Tuesday
• Jalen Suggs followed his 26 points against Phoenix with a career-high 32 against Milwaukee, including 18 in the fourth when the Magic took a three-point lead with 1:13 to play before Dame took over

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2. OKC BRINGS THUNDER TO VEGAS AFTER BOOSTING MAVS

In May, The Mavericks ended the Thunder’s run in the NBA Playoffs.

On Tuesday, The Thunder ended the Mavs’ run in the Emirates NBA Cup.

Shai Gilgeous Alexander dropped 39 points in an all-around performance to lead the Thunder to a 118-104 victory and a berth in the semifinals in Las Vegas. | Recap

• SGA on its own Outperformed the Mavs star duo Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving (combined for 33 points), recording eight boards, five assists, five three-pointers and three steals
• All five OKC starters finished the game in double figures, with Jalen Williams scoring 18 points while Isaiah Hartenstein recorded a double-double (10 points, 13 points).

The turning point: OKC led by three points at halftime before outscoring Dallas 33-19 behind SGA’s 16 points in the third quarter, capped by Isaiah Joe’s buzzer-beater (see below).

Win with Defense: The Thunder started Tuesday with the second-fewest points per game (103.8) in the NBA and finished the game as close to that mark as possible.

• Dallas’ 104 points were the second fewest goals the Mavs scored all season
• Luka and Kyries 33 The combined points are the second fewest they have scored as a duo when both have played 40 minutes in a game
• Who thought she was less? OKC held the Dallas Stars to a total of 27 points in Game 4 of the West Semis on May 13
• Thefts > Sales: OKC recorded its league-leading 13th game this season with more steals (14) than turnovers (13).
• Enjoying mistakes: The Thunder scored 36 points on the Mavs’ 18 turnovers – OKC’s fourth-most turnovers this season
• SGA On Effort plays: “Offensively, smashing the glass, boxing out, jumping on loose balls…those little things that you can control every night that give you a little bit of an advantage.”

Thunder Rain 3s: OKC made a season-high 20 three-pointers on 50 attempts (40%). OKC is now 13-1 when shooting 36% or better from deep.

Next: The Thunder await the winner of the Warriors at Rockets quarterfinals tonight to find out their opponent in the semifinals on December 14th. OKC is 1-1 against both teams this season.

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3. Elite scorers in the spotlight in Vegas

The Emirates NBA Cup brings playoff-like intensity to regular season games, not just at the start of the season. It also puts you in the spotlight.

With the attention of the basketball world Two of the game’s best scorers delivered on them on Tuesday, securing their way to the cup title by two wins.

• Giannis Antetokounmpo: 37 points on 62.5% shooting (15 of 24)
• “We still have unfinished business … We go there to win games,” Giannis said
• Shai Gilgeous Alexander: 39 points on 65.2% shooting (15 of 23) from the field and 55.6% (5 of 9) from three
• “(The) goal is to win With the tournament we have come one step closer,” said SGA

At the end of the night, Giannis had increased his league-leading scoring average to 32.7 ppg, while SGA was one of four players to average 30+ this season with 30.2 ppg.

Scoring paths: Giannis and Shai are both above the rare 30+ PPG tier, but get there in different ways.

• Drives: SGA leads the NBA with 15.5 points per game – 3.1 more than any other player. Giannis ranks 10th with 10.0 ppg
• Insulations: Both SGA (8.0) and Giannis (5.4) rank in the top six in isolation rating, with Giannis leading the way in FG% (54.5%) among players with 25+ attempts
• On the edge: Giannis scores more points inside the restricted area (19 ppg) than any other player in the entire game, including SGA, who ranks fourth in PITP (13.4).
• Transition: Giannis with the ball in the open court is a scary situation for any opponent, as he leads the NBA with 8.5 transition points on a 70.8% shooting percentage.
• Coupling: With the game on the line, Shai is capable of creating and executing his own shots, ranking fourth in clutch scoring with 4.4 ppg in seven games. Giannis ranks 19th with 3.4 ppg in 10 games

Game Recognize Game: Luka had high praise for Shai after their last fight on Tuesday.

• “He’s a great goalscorer, He gets his teammates involved and it’s often difficult to stop him. At some point you have to send two or three players. I mean, it’s great to play against a guy like that.”

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4. KNICKS and HAWKS ADD AN NBA CUP MATCH TO THE GROWING RIVALRY

Showdown at MSG: The No. 2 Knicks host the No. 3 Hawks at The Garden tonight (7 ET, ESPN) with a chance to reach the semifinals of the Emirates NBA Cup in Las Vegas.

The Knicks’ path to the quarterfinals

• Clean sweep: The Knicks defeated the Magic in the final of the group games and secured East Group A 4-0
• Balance: Jalen Brunson (26.8 ppg) leads six Knicks with an average of 13+ ppg in group play

The Hawks’ path to the quarterfinals

• Defeat giants: The Hawks defeated the top two teams in the East – Cleveland (21-4) and Boston (19-5) – and secured East Group C
• Drop pennies: Trae Young leads all players in assists during the regular season (12.2 apg) and in the NBA Cup (11.0).

3 things to consider

1. PG Battle at MSG: Young has some memorable moments at The Garden, from two 40-plus point games to his famous bow to the crowd during the 2021 playoffs.

• New York’s star: Brunson quickly became a fan favorite as he put in impressive performances in the playoffs, making back-to-back runs to the East semifinals

2. The 3-point line: The Knicks rank second in 3-point shooting (39.9%), while the Hawks allow the highest 3-point percentage this year (38.7%).

• That is, the Knicks made a season-high 22 3s on November 6 against Atlanta, but suffered his only loss of the season with 18+ 3s (7-1).

3. Strength vs Strength: The Hawks are in the top six in both second-chance points (16.1) and fast-break points (17.6).

• However, The Knicks are in the top five for limiting both scoring opportunities

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5. MISSILES AND WARRIORS enrich the story of high-stakes matchups

Renewed rivalry: During their streak of five straight Finals from 2015 to 2019, Golden State defeated Houston four times in the playoffs, including twice in the West Finals (2015, 2018) before winning the title.

Fast forward to today and the Rockets (16-8, 3rd in the West) have an entirely new roster and coaching staff, while the Warriors (14-9, 5th) remain focused on Steph Curry, Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr.

Thanks to the Emirates NBA Cup In the Quarterfinals (9:30 ET, TNT), we’ll see these teams face off in a win-or-go-home game for the first time since Game 7 of the 2018 West Finals.

The Rockets’ path to the quarterfinals

• Won in 3: The Rockets secured their spot in the Knockouts by opening West Group A play with wins over the Clippers, Blazers and Timberwolves
• 2nd place: The Rockets’ loss to the Kings in the group finals reduced their point differential to +40, allowing OKC (+45) to take over the No. 1 seed

The Warriors’ path to the quarterfinals

• First punched ticket: The Warriors became the first of the eight teams to earn a spot in the Knockouts when they opened West Group C with wins over Dallas, Memphis and New Orleans
• 3rd place: The Warriors lost to the Nuggets in the group finals, dropping their point differential to +8 and playing away in the quarterfinals

3 things to consider

1. Warriors winning streak: Golden State has won 15 straight games against Houston – the longest active straight winning streak in the league.

• The rockets can get their first win over the Warriors since February 20, 2020?
• Or will it be the Warriors win their fifth straight season series against the Rockets tonight?

2. No splash zone? The Rockets allow the second-fewest 3-pointers made (11.8 per game) and attempted (34.4), while the Warriors are seventh in makes (15.2) and fourth in attempts (41.2). occupy space.
3. How balanced is this matchup? Both teams enter tonight tied in offensive rating (112.4) and both are in the top four in defensive rating – Rockets in second place with 105.4, Warriors in fourth place with 107.6.