NBA Cup: Thunder Cool Doncic, Mavericks To Advance To Semis

Gilgeous-Alexander shot 15 for 23 from the field and tied a season high by making five 3-pointers. Jalen Williams scored 18 points, and Isaiah Hartenstein added 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Already atop the Western Conference standings, Oklahoma City collected their eighth win in their last nine games and will travel to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup semifinals on Wednesday, when they will face either the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets.

Oklahoma City’s league-leading defence frustrated Luka Don?i? all night, holding the Mavericks’ star to 16 points on just 5-of-15 shooting. Don?i? committed six of Dallas’ 18 turnovers.

Klay Thompson made five 3-pointers to finish with 19 points, while Naji Marshall added 19 of his own off the bench.

Giannis, Dame push Bucks past Magic

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points, Damian Lillard went on a scoring spree late and the Milwaukee Bucks edged a depleted Orlando Magic squad 114-109 to reach the NBA Cup semi-finals for the second straight season.

Lillard tied the game 106-106 with a step-back 3-pointer with 52 seconds remaining and put Milwaukee ahead with a dunk on the Bucks’ next possession. He scored nine of his 28 points in the game’s final minute.

Antetokounmpo got his 37 on 15-of-24 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds and added four blocked shots on the defensive end to continue his run of MVP-calibre play.

Bobby Portis had 22 points on 9-for-11 shooting and added 10 rebounds off the bench. He, Lillard and Antetokounmpo were the only Bucks to score in double figures.

Milwaukee made it to the semifinals of the inaugural in-season tournament last year before losing to the Indiana Pacers.

The Bucks will travel to Las Vegas for Saturday’s semi-final, facing either the New York Knicks or Atlanta Hawks.

The Magic, who played without star forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner due to oblique injuries, shot 44.1 percent from the field and 6 of 27 from 3-point range.

Jalen Suggs scored 10 straight points for Orlando in the fourth quarter but missed his final three attempts from the field. He finished with 32 points and nine rebounds.