Alperen Şengün leads Rockets to NBA Cup semis

HOUSTON

Alperen Sengun #28 of the Houston Rockets shoots against Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half of a quarterfinal game in the NBA Emirates Cup at Toyota Center on Dec. 11, 2024 in Houston, Texas.

The Houston Rockets edged Golden State 91-90 for their first win over the Warriors since 2020 and reach the semifinals of the NBA Cup on Dec. 11, as the Atlanta Hawks advanced with a come-from-behind victory over the New York Knicks.

Alperen Şengün scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Rockets and teammate Jalen Green's 12 points included the game-winning free-throws with 3.5 seconds remaining as Houston ended a run of 15 straight losses to the Warriors stretching back to February 2020.

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.

Atlanta, fueled by 22 points and 11 assists from New York nemesis Trae Young, rallied from a 10-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Knicks 108-100 at Madison Square Garden.

The final of the second edition of the in-season tournament will be in Las Vegas on Dec. 17.

"I've never seen my team so thirsty," Şengün said of the Rockets' determination to make it to Vegas. "We got ready for this game so hard."

In New York, the Knicks dominated the first half but Young came alive in the second to get the Hawks offense firing.

Young scored 12 points and handed out nine assists after the break, directing a balanced Hawks attack that was led by 24 points from reserve De'Andre Hunter.

“It's a big game, especially for us," said Young, who has been the player Knicks fans love to hate since Atlanta's win over New York in a 2021 playoff series.

Josh Hart led the Knicks with 21 points. Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 points and 19 rebounds before fouling out in the final minutes, and Mikal Bridges added another 19 for New York, who failed to respond when Atlanta stepped up the pace in the second half.