The first game between the Orlando Magic and the Milwaukee Bucks was very close. The Bucks won 114–109 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
With less than 33 seconds left in regulation and the Bucks trailing 107-106 in the fourth quarter, guard Damian Lillard took advantage of the Magic’s bad defence by driving to the basket and making an easy shot to win the game.
The eight-time All-Star ended with 28 points and nine assists. Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points, which was the most in the game.
Milwaukee has made it to the Eastern Conference quarterfinals for the second time in as many tournaments held during the regular season.
It was still fresh in Lillard’s mind that the Bucks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs last season.
The 34-year-old said after the win, “We didn’t have the best of luck there last year.” “So I think we’re all thinking about going back to finish what we started last year and doing it right this time.”
Read More: With her win over the Seattle Storm, Caitlin Clark makes WNBA history.
Summary
| Event | Details |
|---|---|
| Teams with Byes | Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Quarterfinal Games | – Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks: Bucks won 114–109 |
| – Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: Thunder won 118–104 | |
| Key Performers (Game 1) | – Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo (37 points), Damian Lillard (28 points, 9 assists) |
| Key Moments (Game 1) | – Damian Lillard’s clutch drive and basket in the final seconds sealed the victory for the Bucks. |
| Key Performers (Game 2) | – Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (39 points) |
| – Mavericks: Luka Dončić (16 points), Kyrie Irving (17 points) | |
| Game Highlights (Game 2) | – Thunder attempted 50 three-pointers, making 20 (40%). |
| – Strong third quarter by OKC helped build a 20-point lead. | |
| Upcoming Semifinal Matchups | – Bucks vs. Winner of Hawks-Knicks game |
| – Thunder vs. Winner of Warriors-Rockets game | |
| Semifinals & Finals Venue | T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas |
| Key Quotes | – Damian Lillard: “We’re thinking about finishing what we started last year.” |
| – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: “It felt a bit like the playoffs.” | |
| Wednesday Night Knockout Games | – Game 1: New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden |
| – Game 2: Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets | |
| Semifinals Start Date | Saturday |
| Finals Date | Tuesday |
Hit a lot of three-pointers to beat the Mavericks.
Two of the NBA’s top scorers played in Tuesday night’s main event. Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks went north to play Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder made an amazing 31 three-pointers in the first half of the game, but only 11 of them went in. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 18 points and Dončić only scored two in the first half, but OKC only had a three-point lead going into the break.
The third quarter was all Oklahoma City. The Thunder built a lead that reached 20 points, with Gilgeous-Alexander continuing to be the key to their offence.
In the fourth, Dončić and Kyrie Irving finally found their offensive flow, which helped the Mavericks make a comeback. Dallas got within eight points, but the Thunder were able to keep the Mavs at bay, and OKC easily won 118–104.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points, which was more than both Dončić (16 points) and Irving (17 points). The Thunder tried an amazing 50 three-pointers and made 20, which is an even 40% from long range.
“It felt a bit like the playoffs; there was more at stake than in a regular season game.” The team does a great job. I’m happy for them. “They were good, but we stepped up and beat them,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game.
Read More: With her win over the Seattle Storm, Caitlin Clark makes WNBA history.
Wednesday night will be the night of the last two NBA Cup knockout games.
The New York Knicks will play the Atlanta Hawks at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” in the early game. The Atlanta Hawks are led by Trae Young, who was recently a bad guy at Madison Square Garden.
The late game on Wednesday will feature Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors taking their exciting style of basketball on the road to play the young Houston Rockets.
As that game ends, the winner will play the Thunder. The winner of the Hawks-Knicks game will play the Bucks.
The semifinals will start on Saturday at the Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena, and the final will be held there on Tuesday.
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