Picture Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images

NBA Daily Recap, December 14 – Thunder’s second-half surge, Giannis gigantic performance & more

Let's take a look at what happened on Saturday in the NBA.

Picture Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Here’s the NBA Daily Recap for Dec. 14, 2024, where we witnessed two quality matchups in the 2024 NBA Cup knockouts. It was the day for holding the nerves in pursuit of Championship qualification and Las Vegas didn’t disappoint.

From Darvin Ham’s undefeated record in the NBA Cup to Thunder’s second-half comeback through Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, let’s go through the key highlights from the NBA action on Saturday night.

Bucks 110-102 Hawks

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points to guide the Bucks into the NBA Cup final with a win over the Hawks. The “Greek Freak” had 14 rebounds and 9 assists while shooting 10-of-15 from the floor and 12-of-18 from the free-throw line. Damian Lillard finished with 25 points for the Bucks who posted a 11-1 all-time NBA Cup record.

Trae Young led the Hawks with 35 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Jalen Johnson added 15 points and 10 rebounds while De’Andre Hunter had 15. Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis shined with 10 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

WHAT. A. BLOCK. 🤯

GIANNIS PROTECTING THE RIM LATE. #EmiratesNBACup on TNT pic.twitter.com/ik5ntWaAA2
— NBA (@NBA) December 14, 2024

Bucks dispatch Atlanta in fourth quarter

It was a close encounter between two unbeaten sides of the NBA Cup. Bucks had a 55-49 lead at halftime and Hawks made a comeback by taking the third quarter 34-27. Young scored 14 points in the third quarter to pull off the comeback and Jalen Johnson’s dunks broke the lead.

The game was heading to a thrilling finish with an 83-82 score in the fourth quarter. Antetokounmpo dropped six points in a 7-1 surge for the Bucks to take a crucial 7-point lead with three minutes to play. Young replied with two free throws and a jumper but Brook Lopez and Lillard regained the momentum with a 107-100 lead. Cline Capela missed free throws on Lopez’s foul and the early lead helped the Bucks to win the game.

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Thunder 111-96 Rockets

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 32 points and Isaiah Hartenstein added 21 to script a memorable semifinal win for the Thunder against the Rockets.

Jalen Williams added 20 points and Luguentz Dort chipped in 19 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder. Amen Thompson paced the Rockets with 19 points, and Alperen Sengun added 13 points and 11 rebounds.

SAG led the second-half dominance for the Thunder

Both teams were separated by just one point at halftime and Houston had an advantage. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 of his 32 points in the second half where Oklahoma City rallied a comeback.

Thunder outscored Houston 34-27 in the third quarter and had a 13-3 run in the fourth to take a 15-point lead with 4:57 left. Fred VanVleet, who had a terrible 3-point shooting, made a running pullup jump shot to reduce the deficit to 8 points with 2:13 left. Thunder again had a 10-3 run in the end to win the game.

Image Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images

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Gulshan Sharma

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.