NBA Cup 2024 Semi Final Picks & Tips

First up it is the Atlanta Hawks vs Milwaukee Bucks from the Eastern Conference, followed by the Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder from the Western Conference.

Our best picks for each game are below.

Atlanta disposed of the Knicks at MSG earlier in the week in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals. It was their second win against the Knicks so far this season and took them to 7 wins out of their last 8 games. De'Andre Hunter topscored with 24pts off the bench with the team shooting just 29% from 3pt range in the win.

Milwaukee cleared their first NBA Cup hurdle with a win over the injury ravaged Orlando Magic 114-109, Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way with 37 points in the victory. The Bucks have only lost 2 of their last 11 games, one of those though was to the Hawks 119-104 on December 4th.

My prediction here is that Atlanta will figure out a way to get past Milwaukee who will most likely figure out a way to lose the game on their own. The Hawks keep winning despite poor 3pt shooting, if they get hot, this game will be over early. De'Andre Hunter has scored 20+ in 5 straight games.

The Rockets had a comeback win over the Golden State Warriors in the Quarterfinals earlier in the week. They kept their opponent from scoring for the last 3 minutes and 3 seconds of the game reducing a 6 point deficit to win the game by a single point. Alperen Sengun top scored with 26pts to go with his 11 rebounds. He is averaging a double double on the season. 

Oklahoma City took down the Mavs in their QF victory 118-104 winning their 4th straight game and 8th of their last 9 games played. MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was electric, leading all scorers with 39 with 8 boards, 5 assists, 3 steals and a block.

The Rockets are where the Thunder were themselves just two years ago. A young hungry core that can take down giants. But OKC have their sights set on the top and have paved the way to start notching these types of wins in clutch moments, for titles.

Expect Isaiah Hartenstein to bust out again, he is averaging a double double so far this season and for the Thunder to do things at their pace, keeping the Rockets out of step.