The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder punched their ticket to the NBA Cup semi-final in opposition to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, with a 118-109 victory. The Thunder needed to look ahead to the winner of the Golden State Warriors-Houston Rockets recreation, which noticed the Rockets snap a dropping streak in opposition to the Warriors, securing their first victory in opposition to the Bay Space ballers since February 2020.
So the stage is ready for the OKC Thunder to tackle the Golden State Warriors in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday for the appropriate to take part within the second championship recreation of the NBA Cup.
It is a battle between two of the perfect defenses within the league, and Thursday at follow, Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was peppered with questions on what makes the Rockets protection so stable.
“[Rockets] Coach [Ime] Udoka established a tradition of toughness there that may be very highly effective and really evident,” Daigneault mentioned throughout Thunder follow Thursday. “He is carried out an ideal job. The athleticism of this workforce. They’ve electrical athletes in a number of spots. »
“Clearly it’s Thompson who exhibits up there, however Eason is a really scrappy participant,” Daigneault continued. “Jabari Smith has nice place dimension, as do Brooks and VanVleet. These guys are robust, veteran defensive-minded gamers.”
“I take into consideration the cultural aspect, the non-public. They play hungry,” Daigneault mentioned of the Rockets. “They play hungry basketball each evening,” added the Thunder bench boss.
These two groups performed 5 video games on the street, with the Rockets incomes a three-point victory in Houston on the ultimate leg of a four-game street journey for Oklahoma Metropolis. This recreation is certain to be aggressive with lots on the road.
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