The Houston Rockets advanced to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas on Wednesday night after defeating the Golden State Warriors 91-90 thanks to two free throws from Jalen Green with 3.5 seconds remaining.
Houston defeated the Warriors to end a 15-game losing streak and win the series for the first time since February 20, 2020. In the semifinals on Saturday, the Rockets will play Oklahoma City, who defeated Dallas in the other West quarterfinal game on Tuesday night.
Jabari Smith Jr. contributed 15 points, while Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 26 points and 11 rebounds.
Before falling behind late to set up the exciting conclusion, Houston had a 14-point lead.
With almost 1 1/2 minutes remaining, Houston was behind by six points. However, with 27 seconds remaining, Fred VanVleet sank a 3-pointer and Sengun made a layup to trim the deficit to one.
Gary Payton II got the rebound after Stephen Curry missed a 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining, but Green blocked his pass and Jonathan Kuminga fouled him to create the winning free throws.
At the last second, Smith stopped Brandin Podziemski’s 3-point attempt, which would have given the Warriors the victory.
KNICKS 100, HAWKS 108
NEW YORK (AP) De’Andre Hunter and Jalen Johnson outperformed the Knicks frontcourt, Trae Young finished with 22 points and 11 assists, and the Atlanta Hawks defeated New York 108-100 on Wednesday night to advance to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas.
The Hawks were arguably the tournament’s surprise team after defeating the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers and the reigning champion Celtics in group play to advance to the knockout stage as the No. 3 seed in the East. Hunter scored 24 points, and Johnson had 21 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists.
They will now play the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, another East heavyweight, in a semifinal on Saturday.
The Knicks, who went 4-0 in group play, jumped off to a 12-point lead Wednesday thanks to Josh Hart’s 21 points and Karl-Anthony Towns’ 19 points and 19 rebounds. However, Young was the one rejoicing on Madison Square Garden’s floor after defeating the Knicks, just like in the 2021 playoffs.
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