Let's take a look at what happened on Wednesday in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
Here’s the NBA Daily Recap for Dec. 11, 2024, where we had only two matchups. We finally have four deserving teams in the NBA Cup who will reach Las Vegas for the Finals. Both games witnessed some amazing key battles, including the top-class clutch finish. Let’s find out who joined the Bucks and Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinal.
Let’s walk through the key highlights from the NBA action on Wednesday night.
Atlanta Hawks continued their dream run in the NBA Cup to beat New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Trae Young scored 22 points and 11 assists to earn a ticket to Las Vegas. De’Andre Hunter had 24 points and Jalen Johnson added 21 with 15 rebounds to outscore the Knicks frontcourt.
Hawks are the potential underdogs who have beaten NBA Champions, Boston Celtics and the NBA-leading Cavaliers in group play. Josh Hart chipped in 21 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 points and 19 rebounds for New York. Hawks will take on the Bucks in the NBA Cup semifinals.
It was a replica of the 2021 NBA playoffs when Young eliminated New York. The Knicks had a 54-47 lead before the Hawks added a superb comeback in the third. With a toe-to-toe 15-12 run from the Hawks, the lead was reduced to four points. Young scored eight straight points and Hunter hit a 3 to earn the first lead of the game.
Atlanta outscored the Knicks 34-18 in the third quarter and overall, 61-46 in the second half. The Knicks tried to control the lead in the final stanza but failed. NY Knicks dropped the second game in the last three and it was also the second straight home loss for the side. Meanwhile, the Hawks extended their winning streak on the road to four matches.
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Houston Rockets ended a 15-game losing streak against the Warriors with a one-point win in the low-scoring NBA Cup thriller. Alperen Sengun scored 26 points and 11 rebounds while Jabari Smith Jr had 15 points. Jalen Green had 12 points to set a semifinal date with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jonathan Kuminga led the Warriors with 20 points and Stephen Curry added 19 points. Buddy Hield chipped in 15 points and also became the 17th player to reach 2,000 made threes in his career. Rockets overcame the Warriors for the first time since before COVID-19 swept through the globe in 2020.
Rockets made a solid start with a 44-37 lead at half-time. It was a low-scoring encounter as both teams dominated the defence. Golden State added a 22-15 surge to tie the game in the third quarter and Trayce Jackson-Davis’s free throw ended the lead with 3:54 remaining.
The intense game continues as the Warriors head into the fourth quarter with a 69-68 lead. Lindy Waters’ driving layup gave the Warriors a 6-point lead, the biggest of the game. Rockets had a 9-2 run to end the game. Curry missed a 3-pointer and Gary Payton grabbed the rebound, but Green intercepted his pass and was fouled by Kuminga. It allowed the Houston star to make two free throws with 3.5 seconds left and the Rockets secured a crucial one-point win to claim Vegas ticket.
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