NBA Releases Referee Assignments for NBA Cup Semifinal Games

The league revealed the officiating crews for each NBA Cup semifinal game Saturday.

Tim Capurso | 2 Hours Ago

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shoots a half court shot during practice prior to the Emirates NBA Cup semi-finals at T-Mobile Arena on December 13, 2024. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

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With the NBA Cup semifinal games between the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks, as well as the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder just hours away from tipping off, the league on Saturday morning announced the referee assignments for the contests.

Game	Crew Chief	Referee	Umpire
Hawks @ Bucks	John Goble	Tre Maddox	John Butler
Rockets @ Thunder	James Capers	Nick Buchert	Ray Acosta

Veteran NBA official Pat Fraher will be working the replay center for both games. The Bucks, who rode a perfect 4-0 record through group-play games and a victory over the Orlando Magic in the quarterfinals, had also advanced to the NBA Cup semifinals last year, where they were bested by the Indiana Pacers.

The Hawks, Thunder and Rockets are all first-time semifinalists at the in-season tournament. Hawks-Bucks tips off at 4:30 p.m. ET while Rockets-Thunder begins at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.