Indiana, New Orleans, Lakers and Milwaukee will play in the semifinals of the new NBA Cup

The new NBA Cup competition, which is an insert to the ongoing regular season to make the whole competition more attractive, already knows the four semifinalists. They are the Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks.

NBA Cup: Eliminating the favorites

The Indiana Pacers, somewhat surprisingly, eliminated the current NBA Cup leader Boston Celtics in the quarter-finals of the new NBA Cup tournament (112:122) after putting on a great collective performance.

Moreover, Indiana player Tyrese Haliburton notched a triple-double with 26 points, 13 assists and 1 rebound. He also added 5 successfully converted threes. Boston couldn’t get enough this time with 32 points from Jason Tatum and 30 points from Jaylen Brown.

In the next game, Sacramento Kings, who had previously dominated all 4 games of the group, fell to the New Orleans Pelicans (117:127). 30 points by De’Aaron Fox or a triple-double by Domantas Sabonis for 26 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists did not help the home team. Brandon Ingram was the top scorer for the visiting team with 30 points.

The Los Angeles Lakers were the next to advance, beating the Phoenix Suns 106-103 at home. Lebron James and Anthony Davis were the biggest contributors to the home team’s victory.

James had a triple-double in the game, scoring 31 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds. Davis seconded him with 27 points and 15 rebounds. For Phoenix, Kevin Durant could have tied the game at the last second, but he missed a tough shot from distance.

The Milwaukee Bucks were the last team to advance to the semifinals, beating the New York Knicks 146-122. The home team’s star Janis Adetokumbo contributed significantly with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists.

He was well supported by Portland’s preseason signing Damian Lillard, who scored 28 points. The team from New York was not helped by a great shooting performance of Julius Randle, who scored 41 points.

The semifinal pairings are LA Lakers – New Orleans and Milwaukee will play Indiana. The final game is scheduled for Saturday and will take place in Las Vegas.

Source: NBA