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Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets punched their tickets to Las Vegas after clinching victories overnight. The semifinals of the NBA Cup, the new mid-season tournament played during the NBA regular season, are now confirmed. The reigning champions of the inaugural edition, the Los Angeles Lakers, had already been eliminated. The contenders for the trophy will be the Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the newly qualified Hawks and Rockets.
The Atlanta Hawks pulled off an impressive road win at Madison Square Garden, defeating the New York Knicks. The Knicks, favored to win with home-court advantage, couldn’t hold off Trae Young and his teammates. Young led the Hawks with 22 points and 11 assists, orchestrating a game-changing run in the third quarter.
After the decisive run, Young taunted the Madison Square Garden crowd by mimicking a dice-throwing gesture over the Knicks' logo, a clear reference to Las Vegas, where Atlanta will face the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, December 14. De’Andre Hunter (24 points) and Jalen Johnson (21 points) were also crucial contributors for the Hawks.
The Golden State Warriors, led by Steph Curry, were also sent packing in the other quarterfinal clash. Despite holding a lead, the Warriors saw their hopes dashed after a controversial finish involving some disputed referee calls.
Houston Rockets capitalized with a 7-0 run that secured their spot in the Final Four. Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 26 points and 11 rebounds, sealing the team’s trip to Las Vegas. They will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinal.
The winners of the two semifinals will meet in the NBA Cup final on December 17, also in Las Vegas.
