LAS VEGAS– Shai Gilgeous-Alexander he scored 20 of his 32 points in the second half, and a Thunder in Oklahoma retired late Saturday night to beat Houston Rockets 111-96 and advance to the NBA Cup Championship.
The Thunder continues its five-game winning streak heading into Tuesday’s finale against the Bucks. Milwaukee beat Atlanta Hawks 110:102 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The title match does not count in the league rankings.
Saturday’s semifinal pitted two of the league’s three best defenses against each other, and both teams had problems in the first half. But the Thunder, led by Gilgeous-Alexander, found a bright moment in the second quarter, scoring 70 points and pulling away after a 42-41 halftime lead.
Isaiah Hartenstein added 21 points for Thunder, Jalen Williams scored 20 i Luguentz there he finished the game with 19 points and nine rebounds.
Amen Thompson led Houston with 19 points, one of six Rockets in double figures, and Alperen Sengun had 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Rockets and Thunder have two of the three best records in the Western Conference, making Saturday’s second semifinal a potential playoff preview.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
