Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals kick off today: Starting 5, Dec. 14

Welcome to Vegas. The Emirates NBA Cup semifinals are here.

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5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION

Dec. 14, 2024

The Stakes: How the Bucks, Hawks, Thunder & Rockets got to Vegas and what a win would mean

Bucks vs. Hawks: Two of the league’s hottest teams meet, out to make a statement

Thunder vs. Rockets: The two top defenses in the NBA clash in a heavyweight West duel

Friday Fire: The Grizzlies & Wolves keep climbing, while KD & Book erupt

Roundup: Wemby caps epic 4th-quarter rally, Cavs’ historic start continues and more

BUT FIRST … ⏰

The final scores before Saturday’s win-or-go home semifinals…

The Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals tip off today in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena. To open, Trae Young and the Hawks battle Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in the East (4:30 ET, TNT). Then, two of the best in the West go toe-to-toe as the Rockets face the Thunder (8:30 ET, ABC).

The winners will advance to the NBA Cup championship game, which will also be held in Las Vegas, on Tuesday, Dec. 17. And it’s not too late to see the Cup winner crowned — grab tickets here for both the semifinals and the championship!

The NBA Creator Cup also tips off at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday (7:30 ET, YouTube / NBA App). The electric 5×5 pickup game features your favorite hoop creators, including the Professor, Lethal Shooter, Jesser, Tristan Jass and more. Secure tickets here.

1. EMIRATES NBA CUP SEMIFINALS: THE JOURNEY & THE STAKES

Surging Squads Collide:

With an 11-3 record in their last 14 games, the No. 1 Bucks will open Saturday’s semifinals against the No. 3 Hawks, who have won seven of their last eight outings (4:30 ET, TNT).

Milwaukee’s Road To Vegas

From The Bottom: On Nov. 12, the Bucks entered Group Play with a 2-8 record, sitting in 14th place in the EastTo Unbeaten:

Now they hold the sixth-best record in the East (13-11) and are the only undefeated team in Cup play (5-0), stamped by Tuesday’s quarterfinal win over Orlando

Atlanta’s Road To Vegas

Giant Slayers: The Hawks secured East Group C by taking down the conference’s top two teams: the Cavs (22-4) and Celtics (20-5)Ticket Punched:

Their next step? Knocking off the East’s fourth-best team at MSG, as they used a 2nd-half rally to surge past the Knicks

Saturday’s Stakes

Bucks Redemption: The only team to reach the Knockout Rounds in both NBA Cups, Milwaukee fell short in last year’s semifinals against IndianaHawks Statement: Atlanta has owned the East’s elite since March 2024, posting a 10-2 record (83.3%) against Boston, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and New York, while the rest of the conference has gone 35-87 (28.7 win%) against that groupOn Saturday,

they’ll look to complete their Cup gauntlet against those squads to further cement their status as East contenders

Top 2 Face:

In the nightcap, two of the best teams in the West — boasting the top two defenses in the NBA — clash as the No. 1 Thunder face the No. 2 Rockets (8:30 ET, ABC).

OKC’s Road To Vegas

Rolling Thunder: OKC leapfrogged Houston (+40) for the No. 1 seed on the final night of Group Play with a +45 point differential, then stormed past Dallas in the quarterfinals to reach Vegas

Houston’s Road To Vegas

Snapping The Streak: Meanwhile, the Rockets closed their quarterfinal matchup against the Warriors on a 9-1 run for a gritty 91-90 win, ending their 15-game losing streak against Golden State

Saturday’s Stakes

OKC’s Mission: With their first chance to earn hardware since their 2024 Playoff exit, the Thunder will look to break through the West bracket, further solidifying their status as a powerhouse in a loaded conferenceHouston’s Moment: The Rockets’ hot start is no accident. Since March 2024, they boast the second-best record in the West at 33-15, trailing only OKC (35-12)Tonight,

they face perhaps their greatest test yet against the West’s top team in a Playoff-caliber clash

2. BUCKS VS. HAWKS: 3 KEYS TO WATCH

With two of the hottest teams

in hoops set to clash in mere hours, keep an eye out for these three key factors:

1. Deer Duo: Milwaukee’s offense flows through Giannis Antetokounmpo (NBA-best 32.7 ppg) and Damian Lillard (25.8), whose 58.5 combined ppg lead all NBA duos.

Historic Heights: That mark ranks third among duos in the last 50 years, behind only James Harden & Russell Westbrook (61.5 in 2019-20) and Luka Dončić & Kyrie Irving (59.2 in 2023-24)Can’t-Miss Connection: Lillard has dished out 46 assists to Antetokounmpo this season — the 11th most between any two players — with Giannis shooting 83.6% off those feedsThe Secret?

Many of Lillard’s setups find Giannis in the restricted area, where he’s averaging 18.9 ppg — the highest mark for any player in 29 years of play-by-play data

Dame’s Counter: When defenses focus in on Giannis, Lillard takes advantage, ranking second in the NBA with 11.7 ppg as a pick-and-roll ball handler

2. Daniels’ Defense: Dyson Daniels will likely draw the tough assignment of guarding Lillard, setting up a must-see matchup.

Legendary Company: Daniels leads the league with 73 steals (3.0 spg) along with 22 blocksThe last player to reach those numbers through 24 games? Michael Jordan in 1988Historic Hands:

Daniels is also averaging 6.3 deflections per game, on pace to set a new single-season record since deflections began being tracked nine seasons ago

3. Atlanta’s Assists: Led by Trae Young’s league-best 12.2 dimes per game, Atlanta is averaging 31.4 assists in its last eight outings — the second-most in the NBA in that span.

Franchise Feat: The Hawks have dished out 25+ assists in 18 straight games, the longest such streak in franchise historyP&R Power:

With Young (21 ppg) and Jalen Johnson (19.8) drawing attention as the team’s leading scorers, Atlanta excels in pick-and-roll action, averaging a league-best 10 ppg by the “roll man”

Extra Dimension: If the defense collapses on the roll man, space opens up beyond the arc, where Atlanta’s generating 21.2 wide-open 3-point attempts per game, which they convert at a 36.1% clip

3. THUNDER VS. ROCKETS: 3 KEYS TO WATCH

Out West, the top two defensive teams in the league square off, with OKC ranking first in defensive rating (103.4) and Houston second (105.1).

The two defensive titans thrive using different formulas – creating three keys to watch.

1. OKC Turnover Ratio: The Thunder lead the league in forced turnovers (19.2) while committing a league-low 11.8 per game, resulting in the best turnover differential (+7.4) since turnovers were first tracked in 1977-78.

Storming Defense: OKC also leads the league in steals (12.2) and is on pace to become the first team to have more steals than turnovers in a season since steals were first tracked in 1973-74The Trap:

OKC disrupts offenses by sending timely traps, leading to easy steals and an NBA-best 23.1 ppg off turnovers

The Recovery: If ball-handlers find an outlet, OKC recovers with elite closing speed, turning a once-open look into a contested shotThe Result?

A league-best 42.7% opponents’ field goal percentage

2. Rockets’ Energy: Right behind OKC in opponents’ field goal percentage? Houston, which swarms to the ball — allowing just 36.3% on spot-up possessions and 58.8% shooting within five feet of the rim.

Top Trio: Houston’s defense is led by Dillon Brooks, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, who own the best DefRtg in the NBA among 3-man lineups (min. 100 min. played together)Young & Hungry: With five players aged 23 or younger averaging 20+ minutes, Houston has the legs to swarm offenses for a full 48 minutesTheir stamina

was on full display in the quarterfinals, where they held Golden State scoreless on the Dubs’ final five possessions

Advantage On The Glass: While the Rockets don’t force as many steals as the Thunder, they rank first in total rebounds (49.4), defensive rebounds (35.5) and offensive rebounds (13.9)OKC, meanwhile, is one of four teams ranked in the bottom 10 in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentageMore Possessions:

With an edge on the boards, Houston averages 5.5 more shooting opportunities than its opponents, the biggest differential in the NBA

3. Scoring: While both teams boast stellar defenses, their offensive production comes in different forms. OKC runs its offense through its superstar, while Houston relies on a balanced attack.

SGA Shining: Ranked first in the Emirates NBA Cup MVP Ladder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Thunder with 30.2 ppg this season and 32.2 ppg in Cup play — more than any other remaining playerHouston Balance:

Meanwhile, the Rockets are one of two teams in the NBA with seven players averaging 11+ ppg alongside the Hawks

NBA Play Trivia: Now that you’re an expert on both matchups, test your knowledge with NBA Play’s Emirates NBA Cup semifinals trivia!

4. HEAT CHECK: GRIZZLIES & WOLVES KEEP CLIMBING, KD & BOOK CATCH FIRE

Grizzlies 135, Nets 119: The league’s leading offense erupted for its fourth 135+ point game of the season — tied with Cleveland for the most in the NBA — as Ja Morant (28 pts, 7 reb, 10 ast) put on a show for Memphis’ fourth straight dub and its 10th in 11 games. | Recap

Memphis Moving Up: The win gives the Grizzlies (18-8) sole possession of second place in the West, breaking a tie with the Rockets (17-8)

Wolves 97, Lakers 87: Anthony Edwards (23) and Julius Randle (21) combined for 44 points, and the Wolves never trailed to top Anthony Davis (23 pts, 11 reb) and the Lakers for their fifth win in six games. | Recap

Lock Down: In those six games, Minnesota has held its opponents under 95 points five times while allowing an NBA-best 90.5 ppg

Suns 134, Jazz 126: Devin Booker splashed six 3s on his way to a game-high 34 points, while Kevin Durant added 30 points and eight dimes in his return from a three-game absence to pull away from the Jazz, halting the Suns’ three-game slide. | Recap

5. ROUNDUP: WEMBY RALLIES SPURS, CAVS’ HISTORIC HOME START & MORE

Spurs 118, Blazers 116: Down 17 points with 8:29 left, San Antonio caught fire and closed the game on a 30-11 run, capped by two game-winning free throws from Victor Wembanyama (28 pts, 7 ast, 2 blk) with 2.4 ticks left to stun the Blazers. | Recap

Nuggets 120, Clippers 98: Jamal Murray (20 pts) and Nikola Jokić (16 pts, 7 reb) ignited a 72-51 2nd half for Denver, stretching a one-point lead at the break into a 20+ point win over James Harden (15 pts) and the Clippers. | Recap

Cavaliers 115, Wizards 105: Darius Garland (24 pts), Jarrett Allen (21) and Donovan Mitchell (20) all posted 20-pieces as the Cavs outlasted Bilal Coulibaly (27 pts) and the Wizards to improve to an NBA-best 22-4 and 14-1 at home. | Recap

Home Cooking: It’s just the fourth time Cleveland’s opened a season 14-1 at home. In the previous three instances, they made at least the East FinalsThe most recent instance?

In 2015-16, when they won the NBA Finals

Pacers 121, 76ers 107: Tyrese Haliburton put on a clinic with 32 points and 11 dimes as Indiana outpaced Tyrese Maxey (22 pts) and the Sixers for a 14-point dub — its largest of the season. Joel Embiid left the game with a sinus fracture. | Recap

Bulls 109, Hornets 95: Josh Giddey stuffed the stat sheet (17 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast, 4 stl), and six Bulls finished in double figures in a near wire-to-wire win over Brandon Miller (21 pts) and the Hornets. | Recap