The Rockets narrowly made it to the NBA Cup semifinals with their 91-90 win over the Warriors on Wednesday.
Houston went on a 7-0 run to end the game that included multiple shot clock violations to keep Golden State at bay. The Rockets defense is intense, and it’ll present a challenge to MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Las Vegas.
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Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 30.2 points, 6.3 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field. He’s led the Thunder to the top of the Western Conference with the Rockets 2.5 games behind.
Unlike the Eastern Conference semifinals, this is a matchup of the two top seeds in the conference. The Thunder will continue to be without Chet Holmgren as he recovers from his hip fracture. Even without the star big, Oklahoma City has been excellent, winning eight of its last 10.
Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein have been essential in Holmgren’s absence. Williams is averaging 21.8 points per game this season, while Hartenstein is averaging 12.8 boards per game.
Both squads have great depth and will give a potential sneak peak for a Western Conference playoff matchup in the spring.
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