The third edition of the NBA Cup already has semi-finalists. The reigning league champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, will be the favorites to lift the mid-season trophy of the American competition in Las Vegas, where they arrive after beating the Phoenix Suns 138-89 and equaling the best historical start to the regular season (24-1). At the crossroads of the West, the group led by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will meet the San Antonio Spurs as coral as possible. The Texans eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers of Luka Doncic and LeBron James last night with a convincing 119-132 away victory.
Without their star Victor Wembanyama, who is expected to be ready to compete in the next event after several weeks out due to a muscle injury, the visitors ended up dominating the event in Los Angeles by 24 points. Last year’s top rookie, Stephon Castle, led the victory with 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. As many as seven Spurs players have scored in double figures. “We all want to win, and we don’t care who gets it, we just want to get it,” the shooter said of the collective spirit of the group coached by Mitch Johnson, Gregg Popovich’s heir on the bench.
The drive of Doncic, author of 35 points, five rebounds and eight assists in the defeat, and the flashes of LeBron, inexhaustible with 19 points, 15 rebounds, eight basket assists and a superb sequence shortly before halftime, were of little use to the Lakers. The contribution of Marcus Smart’s bench, with 26 goals, was also not enough for the Angelenos, who maintain second place in the standings with a record of 17 wins and six defeats.
“Winning is never boring,” Thunder second-in-command Jalen Williams said. With 16 consecutive victories, the best team in the league is progressing at a pace that only the legendary Golden State Warriors (73-9) could achieve just ten years ago. Against the Suns, there was once again no color, and Shai led the competition with 28 points and eight assists, well accompanied by Chet Holmgren’s 24 points and eight rebounds. OKC’s shots were such (they reached +53) that the holders were able to rest for most of the second half. Oklahoma will now look to redeem the Cup after losing last year’s Finals to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks.
The semi-final on the other side of the table, in the East, will be contested by the Orlando Magic (15-10) and the New York Knicks (17-7) after beating the Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors respectively on Tuesday. Desmond Bane was the hero of the duel in Florida with 37 points, resolved 117-108 in favor of Orlando after a 16-point comeback at the start. Jalen Brunson, with 35 points, led the New York team to Canada in a game without much drama and ultimately ended 101-117.
The NBA Cup semi-finals will be played this Saturday from 11:30 p.m. in Spain. Magic and Knicks will be the first to appear at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and in the early hours of Wednesday it will be the turn of Thunder and Spurs (03:00). The two matches, as well as the grand final scheduled for next Tuesday (early Wednesday morning at 2:30 a.m. on the peninsula), will be visible via the Prime Video platform.
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