NBA stars compete for the first NBA Cup and half a million dollars this week
The NBA’s first “season tournament” enters a new phase this week. Stars like LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo are preparing for the quarterfinals on Monday and Tuesday.
Four-time NBA champion LeBron James has made no secret that he is only too happy to add a new award to his name during his 21st season in the league. His Los Angeles Lakers reached the quarterfinals as undefeated group winners and will face the top-seeded Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, while Antetokounmpo will face another favorite, the New York Knicks, along with the Milwaukee Bucks.
On Monday, the Boston Celtics will visit the Indiana Pacers and the Sacramento Kings will host the New Orleans Pelicans. The remaining eight teams will compete for a spot in the semifinals on December 7 in Las Vegas.
Suns v Lakers
The finals will take place on December 9 in Las Vegas, where the finalists will be able to win the first NBA Cup and $500,000 per player. “It’s going to be a heavyweight fight in Los Angeles,” Suns guard Devin Booker said. “The stakes are high, the winner is going to Las Vegas. I think everyone is looking forward to it. It’s going to be fun.”
The Lakers have already beaten the Suns twice this season, including once in the group stage of the tournament. Suns star player Kevin Durant averages 31 points per game, which ranks third in the league. James is surprising at almost 39 years old, even if the Lakers have had to deal with numerous injuries. “The most impressive thing is the point in his career that he’s doing this,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “He breaks barriers, it seems, every day.”
Celtics v Pacers
Four of the league’s top ten scorers are in the quarterfinals: Durant in third, Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox in fourth, Antetokounmpo in fifth and Boston’s Jayson Tatum in ninth. Tyrese Haliburton of the Pacers has given the most assists this season. He helps his team average 123.8 points per 100 times his team has the ball.
The Celtics won largely against the Pacers on November 1, 155-104. Haliburton wasn’t there, but Indiana coach Rick Carlisle admitted afterward that his team still has a lot of work to do to take down the Celtics, who are 15-4. “But we’re playing at home, so it’s important,” Carlisle continued. “The room needs to be as loud and raucous as possible and we need to play a really good game.”
Knicks v Bucks
Like the Lakers, the Bucks went 4-0 in the group, including a 110-105 victory over the Knicks. “It would be a great piece of history,” Bucks forward Khris Middleton said of the possibility of winning the first NBA Cup. “We always want to be the first to win something. It would be really cool to win the first ‘tournament of the season.’
Pelicans v Kings
For Zion Williamson, the tournament could be a springboard to success in the playoffs. “For us, we didn’t win anything,” he said, thinking about Monday’s game against Sacramento. “I think winning this match is a good start.”
2023-12-04 07:12:05
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