Houston Rockets to Face OKC Thunder in NBA Cup Semifinal

Following its Wednesday night win over the Warriors, Houston will now face the OKC Thunder.

Dec 11, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) reacts with forward Amen Thompson (1) after a play during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

With a close win over the Golden State Warriors on in the NBA Cup quarterfinal on Wednesday night, Houston is now set to play the OKC Thunder on Saturday in the semifinal.

The Warriors had previously won 15-straight games, a winning-streak extending all the way back to February of 2020. The Rockets exorcised those demons on Wednesday night, even winning with Steph Curry in the lineup, which extended the streak even further.

With just seconds remaining in the game, the Rockets were gifted two free throws on a loose ball, which it kindly sunk to come out with the one-point win.

Houston led, 44-37, following the first half, largely coasting to its seven-point lead via a stanch defensive effort led by its starting five and “Terror Twins” duo of Tari Eason and Amen Thompson off the bench. To that point, Curry and Jonathan Kuminga were the only Warriors in double-digit scoring, with no other Golden State member scoring more than four points.

The second half of play was similarly low-scoring and competitive, with Golden State re-grabbing a one-point lead in the third quarter. It extended it in the fourth quarter with 3-point bombs from Curry, Lindy Waters III and Brandin Podziemski.

With the win, Houston will advance to play the Thunder in Las Vegas in the cup semi-final Saturday, while losers in Golden State and Dallas will face off Sunday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder coasted to a Tuesday-night win over the Mavericks, largely behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hot hand and the defensive effort from Luguentz Dort on superstar Luka Doncic.

With the win, the Rockets move to 17-9 on the season, which ties them for No. 2 in the Western Conference.

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