NEW YORK -. There are four regular season games of the NBA at the beginning of December. Normally they would be forgotten as soon as they were finished.
This surely won’t happen now.
It has already reached the direct elimination phase of the first NBA season tournament — the quarterfinals will be held on Monday and Tuesday to decide the four teams that will travel to Las Vegas this week to compete in the NBA Cup and a prize that will reach 18 millions of dollars.
On Monday, Boston visits Indiana and New Orleans goes to Sacramento. On Tuesday, it will be Milwaukee hosting New York and the Los Angeles Lakers hosting Phoenix. The winners will play in the semifinals, the losers will be left out and will have to play a regular season match this week against another team that also lost.
“I just want to make a request of our fans, that we need to make the house as loud as it can be,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “To show that no good deed goes unpunished, we faced the team with the best record. But we will face them at home and that is important.”
The Lakers, Kings, Pelicans, Bucks, Pacers and Celtics reached the quarterfinals by winning their groups in the first round. The Knicks and Suns are wild cards in each conference.
CELTICS VS. PACERS
Boston (15-4, 3-1) and Indiana (10-8, 4-0).
Indiana has the best scoring average of any team, but also allows the most. They earned the right to receive the quarterfinal match against the team with the best record. The Pacers were without Tyrese Haliburton in their 51-point loss to Boston to open the season, and the Pacers certainly haven’t forgotten him.
KNICKS VS. BUCKS
New York (12-7, 3-1) at Milwaukee (14-6, 4-0).
The Knicks have allowed the fewest points in the league so far and Jalen Brunson had a tournament-high 45 points against the Bucks. But Milwaukee hit 20 three-pointers in that game and now Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo will have a chance to play for a title before continuing their path to the one they love most in June.
PELICANS VS. KINGS
New Orleans (11-10, 3-1) at Sacramento (11-7, 4-0).
The Kings certainly act like this one matters to them given that they have twice come back from being down by 18 and 24 points to win in the tournament. The Pelicans arrive with confidence after beating the Kings twice.
SUNS VS. LAKERS
Phoenix (12-8, 3-1) at Los Angeles (12-9, 4-0).
The winner of this matchup will certainly feel like the home team in Las Vegas given how well their teams are doing in Summer League. James wants to buy a team in Las Vegas when the league expands. The Suns are 7-2 when Devin Booker and Kevin Durant play together. Booker was not in the first matchup against the Lakers.
Source: AP
