With a 30-team field of hopefuls now whittled down to a final four, the NBA-watching world now trains its attention on Las Vegas. Welcome to the semifinals of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup. Grab a beverage, sit down, stay a spell; Trae’s got a hot hand.
Two teams from each conference — the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets from the West, the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks from the East — will square off in a Saturday doubleheader to determine which squads will have the chance to compete for the NBA Cup. Let’s set the table for what’s sure to be a thrilling conclusion by revisiting how we got here and taking a look at some things to keep an eye on in each of our two semifinal tilts:
Where we left off
In the East:
Playing without injured leading scorers Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, the Magic mounted about as valiant an effort as you could ask for against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co.