The Eastern Conference semifinals of the NBA Cup are set, and it very well could be a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals next May. Here is how things shook out on Tuesday night. (The Western Conference quarterfinals games take place on Wednesday night between the Suns and Thunder, followed by the Spurs and Lakers.)
Knicks 117, Raptors 101
Toronto has struggled of late, losing three in a row coming into Tuesday night, in part because a team built on depth is missing two of the roster’s core starters, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.
Overcoming those absences is harder when you run into a red-hot Jalen Brunson.
Brunson scored 35 and sparked the Knicks to the comfortable win, earning them a trip to Las Vegas to face Orlando on Saturday in the NBA Cup semifinals. The Knicks beat the Magic last Sunday at Madison Square Garden, 106-100.
Tuesday’s game in Toronto looked like it would be a shootout early on, with Brunson and Brandon Ingram putting on a show in the first quarter — Brunson had 20 in the frame and Ingram 17. It was a highly entertaining 39-35 Toronto lead after one defense-free quarter.
The game turned in the second quarter, when New York cranked up its defensive pressure. Toronto went cold, shooting 4-of-13 for the frame, scoring just 13 total points. While Ingram continued to put up points all night, he finished with 31, the rest of the team wilted under the pressure (this is where Toronto misses Barrett and Quickley. Remove Ingram from the equation, and the Raptors shot just 38.9% on the night and were 8-of-33 (24.2%) from 3-point range.
While the Raptors struggled to find a bucket, the Knicks started to pull away. By the half, it was 69-52 New York.
The game was never really in doubt in the second half. Josh Hart was 4-of-7 from 3 on his way to 21 points, while Mikal Bridges pitched in 15. Karl-Anthony Towns, who sat out
New York has won 8-of-9 and heads to Las Vegas feeling lucky as one of the hottest teams in the league.
Orlando 117, Miami 108
Orlando’s defense is back.
When the Magic stumbled out of the gate this season, questions about the fit of their offense became the talking point. However, the defense that had been the foundation of this team was the bigger issue — in October, Orlando gave up 120 points a game on nearly 60% true shooting.
The Magic have turned their defense around and Tuesday night was the exclamation point.
Miami is an offense built on pace and transition, and for the season the Heat came into the night with a 118.8 net rating in transition — Orlando held them to 88.2 on Tuesday, and limited the transition opportunities they got.
Forced into the half-court, Orlando’s quality individual defenders didn’t give Miami places to attack in its isolation-heavy offense.
Combine all that with 37 points from Desmond Bane, and Orlando gets the win and advances to Las Vegas and the semifinals of the NBA Cup.
The game started the way Miami wanted as it raced out — literally — to a 17-2 lead, getting out in transition thanks to seven first-quarter Orlando turnovers. The Heat led 30-17 after one quarter, during which the Magic shot 28.6% from the floor, including 1-of-5 from 3.
However, in the second quarter the Magic were able to grind the game’s pace down and get back in it, especially when their shots started falling. Bane’s driving the lane and getting downhill keyed the Magic’s comeback. It was 57-56 Miami at the half.
In the third quarter, Orlando went on a run behind Bane and took control of the game. He got help with 20 points on the night from Jalen Suggs and 18 from Paolo Banchero.
Norman Powell led a balanced Heat attack with 21 points, while Tyler Herro added 20. The Heat will next play the Raptors.
