This is the second year of the NBA Cup and I am simply not a fan. I personally think it is ridiculous that there is a midseason tournament with an exhibition game as the final in the third month of the NBA season. I appear not to be the only one. Television across the NBA has dropped this year compared to last. On Tuesday, two teams advanced in the tournament as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Orlando Magic 114-109 and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks 118-104 in the first two quarterfinal games.
In the Bucks win over the Magic, three Milwaukee players reached double digits in points. Power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo of Athens, Greece had 37 points, point guard Damian Lillard of Oakland, California had 28 points, and power forward Bobby Portis Jr. of Little Rock, Arkansas had a double double, as he had 22 points and 10 rebounds in a reserve role.
In the Thunder win over the Mavericks, all five Oklahoma City starters reached double digits in scoring. Point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Toronto, Ontario, Canada led the way with 39 points, power forward Jalen Williams of Denver, Colorado had 18 points, shooting guard Cason Wallace of Dallas, Texas and Canadian small forward Luguentz Dort of Montreal, Quebec had 11 points each, and center Isaiah Hartenstein of Germany had the double double as he had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
There are two more quarterfinal games on Wednesday. New York plays Atlanta and Golden State plays Houston.
The fact that the Bucks are in the semifinals of the NBA Cup is intriguing because they are only at 13 wins and 11 losses so far this year. When the Lakers won the 2023 NBA Cup, they only finished seventh in the West.
