Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault shares his take on the NBA Cup relocating to Las Vegas for its final rounds

Shot clock violation after shot clock violation, the Houston Rockets relied on their elite defense to advance to Las Vegas for the 2024 NBA Cup semifinals. The Oklahoma City Thunder will again face one of their rivals due to the in-season tournament.

Coach Udoka has established a culture of toughness there that is very potent and very obvious,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault says of the Rockets.

Through the game’s first nine minutes, the Thunder scored only nine points. Through 12, the teams combined to shoot 13-for-47, including 4-for-22 on 3-pointers. They had nine turnovers, which weren’t debilitating to either squad because nobody was capable of turning even the mistakes into easy points.

Trae Young had 22 points and 11 assists, De'Andre Hunter and Jalen Johnson outplayed the Knicks frontcourt and the Atlanta Hawks took their surprising NBA Cup run all the way to the semifinals in Las Vegas,

The Rockets booked an NBA Cup last-four showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Las Vegas on Saturday, when the Hawks face the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Rockets snap a 15-game losing streak to the Warriors and advance to the NBA Cup semifinals, where they will face the Thunder