The Atlanta Hawks went on the road on Wednesday night and put together a dominant second half performance to take an NBA Cup quarterfinal game out east, and the Houston Rockets won a tight contest at home to advance out west. Both teams have now punched their tickets to Las Vegas two of the final four in the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup, joining the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder.
De’Andre Hunter led the Hawks in scoring in the 108-100 victory, with 24 points off the bench, on 8-for-15 including 4-for-5 from downtown. Trae Young was just 8-for-22, but had 11 assists to go along with his 22 points. Jalen Johnson, on 8-for-20, was very good with 21 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists. Clint Capela added a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, and Onyeka Okongwu’s 12 points and 11 rebounds off the bench were crucial as well. The Hawks out rebounded the Knicks 58-49, an effort that they needed if they were going to emerge as winners.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 19 points, 19 rebounds, and 5 assists (7-for-15), and Josh Hart played well with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists on 8-for-12. Mikal Bridges was 9-for-17 for 19 points but was just 1-for-5 from downtown. The three ball was a struggle all night for the Knicks, as Towns and Jalen Brunson, who put up 14 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds on 5-for-15, were both 2-for-6 from long range. OG Anunoby was just 5-for-17 from the field and 1-for-9 from deep, and the Knicks as a whole from deep were just 11-for-42.
The win was a gritty one for the Hawks, as they shot just 41 percent and 29 percent from downtown. Their effort on the glass was vital, and they got to the free-throw line 20 times (making 13) as opposed to the Knicks who were just 9-for-15 as a group.
The Hawks are 14-12 on the season, and the win continues some success for Trae Young against the Knicks. In 21 career games against the Knicks, Young, according to StatMuse, has averaged of 25.4 points, 9.6 assists, and 3.3 rebounds. In the first round of the 2021 playoffs, Young led the Hawks to a 4-1 series win over the Knicks, with 36 points in the clinching Game 5 which was a 14-point Hawk win. The series evoked memories of Reggie Miller at the Garden, in terms of dislike from the Knick fan base, and you can tell that Young thrives in such environments. This year’s iteration of the Hawks is a young group that plays hard and is well coached by Quinn Snyder.
On Saturday (the game is a 4:30 p.m. tip) it will have been 10 days since the Hawks defeated the Bucks by 15, 119-104, in Milwaukee in the only meeting thus far this season between the two sides. The win snapped the Bucks’ seven game winning streak. Saturday’s contest will be a competitive one with something on the line. A key will be Trae Young needing to match Damian Lillard and vice-versa. The Hawks have more in terms of complimentary players, but the experience and star power of Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo is of course always a threat. Both clubs have recent playoff history with one another, the Bucks defeating the Hawks 4-2 in the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals.
The Knicks with the loss are 15-10. They led by seven at halftime, but were unable to sustain, being outscored 34-18 in the third quarter. Still, they are one of the conferences top teams.
In Houston, the Rockets, 17-8, won a close one down the stretch with winning hustle plays in a 91-90 win over the Golden State Warriors (14-10).
The Rockets led 44-37 in a low scoring, defensive first half, but the Warriors took a 69-68 lead into the fourth.
It looked like the road team was going to hold on down the stretch, as a three by Jonathan Kuminga put the Warriors up seven and Draymond Green made big time plays on both ends with tight defense on Alperen Sengun that was befitting of a former defensive player of the year.
After a pair of Sengun free-throws and Kuminga splitting a pair after he was fouled by Dillon Brooks inside, the Rockets scored seven points in the final 1:16 to get the win.
First, Fred VanVleet hit a three, and Sengun scored inside with 27 seconds left.
With a three second difference between the game and shot clock, Stephen Curry wound the clock and attempted a step back triple from the top of the arc that was no good.
Gary Payton II hustled for the rebound, diving on the floor, but Jalen Green came away with it after Payton II attempted to pas the ball. In a frantic scene, Green called for time and a foul on Kuminga was called.
With Steve Kerr upset about the call and giving the officials a piece of his mind, Green stepped to the line and made both free-throws, while at the other end Brandon Podziemski’s leaning triple was blocked by Jabari Smith Jr., sealing the win for the Rockets.
The Rockets shot poorly from downtown (6-for-27), while the Warriors shot 12-for-38. The Rockets were solid from the field though, 46 percent. The Warriors shot 44 percent.
Rebounds and turnovers were near even, with the Warriors out rebounding the Rockets 39-36 and just a one turnover difference (16 for the Rockets, 15 for the Warriors).
Sengun (10-for-18) led the Rockets with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Smith Jr. was 6-for-11 for 15 points. Green and VanVleet combined to go just 8-for-28 (2-for-13 from downtown) for 20 points but Amen Thompson (5-for-7, 10 points, 6 rebounds) and Tari Eason (4-for-7, 9 points, 7 rebounds) played great in supporting roles off the bench.
Kuminga’s 20 points and 7 rebounds (8-for-20) led the Warriors while Curry was 8-for-17 (3-for-9 from deep) for 19 points. Buddy Hield was 6-for-12 (also 3-for-9 from downtown) for 15 points.
The Rocket win sets up what should be a great clash against the Thunder. On November 8, the Rockets lost badly in Oklahoma City 126-107, but prevailed in Houston on November 1 by a score of 119-116. VanVleet scored a game-high 38 in that game, besting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 32. Saturday night will be a matchup of two of the league’s best young teams, Oklahoma City thought to be the best team in the west while the Rockets, a top three team in the west, are a tough group with good up and coming talent. It should be a highly competitive game on Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
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