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LAS VEGAS — We are down to the final four of the NBA Cup, and it’s not who we expected.
Its MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading a powerhouse in Oklahoma City. The Thunder will take on a young team on the rise in the Houston Rockets, who have one of the best defenses in the NBA and are led by breakout star Alperen Sengun. Out East there are two teams with big-time stars finding their groove at the right time — Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks against Trae Young and his Atlanta Hawks.
Here’s everything you need to know about the NBA Cup’s final four.
What’s the NBA Cup 2024 format?
The NBA Cup started with all 30 of the league’s teams drawn into one of six groups, each with five teams (three West, three East). Teams played four NBA Cup games within that group — those games also counted as regular season games — and the six group winners plus a wild card from each conference advanced to the eight-team knockout round.
That led to the four games we saw this week: Milwaukee beating Orlando, Atlanta beating New York, Oklahoma City knocking off Dallas, and Houston beating Golden State in a controversial finish.
NBA Cup Semifinals/Finals Schedule
Semifinals in Las Vegas (Saturday, Dec. 14)
Milwaukee vs. Atlanta 4:30 PM ET (TNT)
Oklahoma City vs. Houston 8:30 PM ET (ABC)
Championship in Las Vegas (Tuesday, Dec. 17)
TBD vs. TBD 8:30 PM ET (ABC)
NBA Cup Semifinal Analysis
Bucks vs. Hawks
Two teams that started the year slowly now come into Las Vegas red hot — Milwaukee has won 9-of-11, while Atlanta has won 7-of-8, including a win over the Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been playing at an MVP level this season — 32.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 6 assists a game — and has sparked an offensive turnaround for a core that has a ring and knows how to win big games. Trae Young is the big name, but this is a much more balanced Hawks roster than it was in years past. When the Hawks beat the Bucks Dec. 4 it was Jalen Johnson who led the way with 23 points and 13 rebounds, while De’Andre Hunter added 20. When these teams played a couple of weeks ago, the Hawks’ strength on the offensive glass was the difference.
Rockets vs. Thunder
The top two teams in the West and the top two defenses in the NBA face off in the late game on Saturday. MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads a Thunder roster that learned last season’s playoff lessons and has returned a more physical team, especially with Isaiah Hartenstein in the paint. Houston is built around an athletic, swarming defense that is gritty and forces turnovers then it gets out and runs, where athletic finishers like Jalen Green and Amen Thompson can finish with the best of them.
Both of these teams force deflections and turnovers, so whichever offense can better take care of the ball will have a huge advantage. These two teams have split their two meetings this season, with Houston winning the most recent matchup behind 38 points from Fred VanVleet and the Rockets getting to the free throw line 39 times in that game.
How much do players make for winning the NBA Cup?
Each player on the winning team for the NBA Cup will take home more than half a million dollars — and the players are very open about how much that motivates them. Even the ones with max contracts — “money is money,” as one player told NBC Sports. The breakdown goes like this:
• NBA Cup champion: $514,971
• Player on losing team in championship game: $205,988
• Players on losing teams in Saturday’s semifinals: $102,944
• Players on losing teams in quarterfinals: $51,497
NBA Cup 2024 odds
For the semifinal games (via our partners at Bet MGM):
Milwaukee -3.5 over Atlanta
Oklahoma City -5.5 over Houston
Odds to win NBA Cup:
Oklahoma City +120
Milwaukee +240
Houston +500
Atlanta +500
Who won the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament?
We will have a new champion, as LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament (before it was officially branded the NBA Cup). The Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers handily in the Finals, but neither team advanced out of group play in the NBA Cup this season.
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