NBA Cup
Why isn’t Chet Holmgren playing in the NBA Cup Final Four game against the Rockets?
The 2024 NBA Cup has reached the Final Four stage as the Bucks face Hawks and Houston Rockets take on OKC.
Four teams remain in contention to win the 2024 NBA Cup and lift the new trophy in only the competition’s second season.
Last year, the Lakers secured the inaugural win defeating the Pacers in the final and this year we’ll have a new winner with the Milwaukee Bucks vs Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets vs OKC Thunder the four semifinalists.
OKC fim favourites
The team from Oklahoma are tipped as firm favourites as they lead the Western Conference after 24 games and were last season’s No. 1 seed in the West heading into the postseason.
They may not surprise their opponents anymore but are still regarded as the most dangerous team in the conference -- even without Chet Holmgren, who has been out for more than a month after suffering a fracture near his hip.
With the 22-year-old sidelines, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has stepped up and helped the team to a recent run of 11-3 as they sit 19-5 overall and are solid bet to be the No. 1 seed again this postseason.
In the NBA Cup, Mark Daigneault’s side won three group games and swept Dallas Mavericks aside, 118-104 on Tuesday to advance to the Las Vegas semifinals.
‘Always trying to win’
Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t plan on leaving empty-handed.
“It would mean a lot, this opportunity to win,” he said. “You play the game at a high level as a kid. You tie your shoes up and play AAU ball to win the tournament on the weekend. You go to college to try and win the NCAA Tournament. (Or even) the tournament at the beginning of the season, the Maui Invitational or whatever it’s called.
“You’re always trying to win. That’s my mindset. That’s my teammates' mindset. We’re always trying to win.”
No Holmgren for the Thunder
Chet Holmgren has missed over a month of court action after sustaining a hip fracture in an early November game against the Golden State Warriors.
The Thunder initially confirmed that the player would need a minimum of eight weeks to recover, with a possible return time-frame extending up to ten weeks so it’s unlikely we’ll see the 22-year-old back on court again in 2024.
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