Two teams punched that tickets to the 2024 NBA Cup Semifinals on Tuesday night, as the Milwaukee Bucks held on to defeat the Orlando Magic at Fiserv Forum and the Oklahoma City Thunder, from Paycom Center, defeated the Dallas Mavericks.
The Magic led 33-25 after one quarter before the Bucks outscored them 55-39 over the second and third quarters. The game came down to the final moments, with Jalen Suggs (16 fourth quarter points) missing on a triple with six seconds remaining that would have tied the game. Giannis Antetokounmpo hit two free-throws at the other end after he was fouled by Wendell Carter Jr. on the rebound.
The 114-109 win got the Bucks to 13-11, while the Magic are now 17-10 as they continue to impress this season despite the loss.
Paolo Banchero’s last game for the team was October 30, when the team was 3-2. After four consecutive losses, the team won 12 of their next 13 games behind the great play of Franz Wagner (24.4 points, 5.7 assists, 5.6 rebounds) who is now sidelined with the same oblique injury, a 4-6 week timeline, as Banchero. Suggs, at 16.6 points per game, has played well in Banchero’s absence and Wagner’s, and led the way for his team on Tuesday with 32 points and 9 rebounds on 12-for-26 shooting. He is still a crunch time option for Jamahl Mosley, who is in the Coach of the Year conversation at this stage.
Anthony Black scored 17 off the bench on 6-for-12 and the other Wagner brother, Moritz, was 6-for-6 from the field for 13 points. Jett Howard, son of University of Michigan legend and former NBA forward Juwan, was 3-for-7 for 10 points. Goga Bitadze scored 12 points and had 14 rebounds on 6-for-13. He has played a solid role inside for the team as did Wendell Carter Jr., who had 5 assists and pulled down 11 rebounds.
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 37 points (15-for-24) and 7 rebounds, while Damian Lillard put up 28 points and 9 assists on 8-for-15, including a step-back triple with 52 seconds left to tie the game and a dunk with 32.1 to go to give the Bucks a 108-107 lead.
The Bucks play the winner of Wednesday night’s Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks matchup in the East bracket finals.
Meanwhile, in Oklahoma City, the Thunder took care of the Mavericks 118-104.
Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander (39 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) led the way for the Thunder on an efficient 15-for-23 from the field and 5-for-9 from deep. Jalen Williams scored 18 points and had 7 rebounds but was just 8-for-21 shooting. Lu Dort and Cason Wallace each added 11 while Isaiah Hartenstein pulled down 13 rebounds with 10 points.
Luka Doncic had a poor night going just 5-for-15 including 2-for-8 from deep for 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. Kyrie Irving was 7-for-14 for 17 points and 5 assists (3-for-5 from downtown) while Klay Thompson (7-for-14, 5-for-10 from deep) and Naji Marshall (7-for-11 in 29 minutes off the bench) each scored 19.
The 19-5 Thunder (first in the Western Conference) will face either the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets in the West bracket final, while the loss gave the formerly surging Mavericks a 16-9 record (fourth in the conference). The Mavericks have won 8 of their last 10.
The Hawks (13-12) and Knicks (15-9) tip-off at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN while the Warriors (14-9) visit the Rockets (16-8) at 9:30 p.m. on TNT.
The Knicks lost to the Hawks on November 6 121-116 in Atlanta, a game in which Zacharie Risacher scored 33, Jalen Johnson 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists, and Trae Young 23 points and 10 assists. Wednesday’s contest has an interesting wrinkle to it as well being at Madison Square Garden where Young has history going back to the 2021 playoffs.
The Warriors are 2-0 against the Rockets this season, with a 127-121 overtime win in Houston on November 2 and a 99-93 win at Chase Center on December 5. Both teams matchup well with good guard play and defense at the forward spots with Dillon Brooks and Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins though is questionable with an ankle. Alperen Sengun figures to have an inside advantage if he suits up (he is questionable with left knee soreness) while the Warriors have better shooting.
Both should be competitive matchups on Wednesday night.
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Toronto Raptors’ star Scottie Barnes (20.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 7.4 assists) will miss several weeks with ankle injury according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Barnes had already missed 11 games this season, from October 30 to November 18. His injury is a tough blow for a Raptor team that has been getting a career year from R.J. Barrett (23.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists on 46 percent) and has missed Immanuel Quickley for all but three games. An elbow injury has kept the 25-year-old Quickley out since November 12. He has undergone further tests, but there is still no timetable for his return, according to TSN’s Josh Lewenberg.
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