We have reached the hot phase of the In-Season Tournament, which between last night and next will pit the 8 remaining teams against each other competing for a place in Las Vegas, where the title will be awarded.
In the first two quarter-finals of the new NBA Cup, Indiana plays an excellent second half and led by Tyrese Haliburton beats and eliminates the Celtics. The Pelicans pass on the Sacramento field with a display of great maturity and on the shoulders of Brandon Ingram they fly to the semifinals.
Here is the recap of the two semi-finals played on the NBA night.
Indiana Pacers – Boston Celtics 122-112
The first quarter-final of the new NBA Cup does not disappoint expectations, with continuous partials and against partials. The stars shine with Tyrese Haliburton on one side and the Jaylen Brown-Jayson Tatum duo on the other, but what makes the difference is Indiana’s supporting cast. The former player of the evening Aaron Nesmith (14 points) and Buddy Hield (21 points with 3/4 threes) are decisive in the final quarter, when the Pacers manage to contain Boston’s comeback attempts and run away towards the semi-final .
Haliburton, in doubt on the eve of the match, struggled a bit in the first part of the match but completely changed the trend with a second half in which he scored 19 of his 26 points, to which he added 10 rebounds and 13 assists for the triple double he brought Indiana in Las Vegas. The former Kings is also surgical in the last quarter, where he places the two triples that knock down Boston.
At the Celtics, without Kristaps Porzingis, coach Mazzulla is forced to ask his two stars for extra effort on both sides of the pitch. And Brown responds with 30 points, 9 rebounds and the usual defensive presence (2 blocks and a steal)
For Tatum there are 32 points, of which 13 scored in the 4th quarter alone, 12 rebounds and 6 assists in the Boston wing’s game, which is in line with the difficult evening in long-range shooting for his team (29.1%) he shoots 2/8 from three and in the final he loses two balls which then turn out to be decisive to seal Indiana’s victory.
Sacramento Kings – New Orleans Pelicans 117-127
The first twist arrives: the Pelicans play a great team game, they send 6 players in double figures and in the fourth quarter they resist the Kings’ comeback attempts to secure their ticket to the final four of the NBA Cup. New Orleans is leading Brandon Ingram, but the guests also found 23 points from Herb Jones and a double double (18 points and 11 rebounds) from Jonas Valanciunas. Sacramento can count on an excellent Domantas Sabonis but he shoots poorly from the field (44.7%) and never overcomes the accumulated deficit.
On an evening in which Zion Williamson (10 points and 6 rebounds) does not shine, Ingram takes care of leading the Pelicans. For the New Orleans wing there are 30 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, in addition to the baskets that keep Sacramento’s comeback attempts at bay.
The Kings never manage to really light the fuse of their attack, but throughout the game they cling to Sabonis. For the Lithuanian triple double of 26 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists shooting 8/12 from the field.
Stefano Sanaldi
Image credits: nba.com
2023-12-05 10:45:53
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