The NBA Cup has already given its first surprise. The Indiana Pacers have eliminated the Boston Celtics in the first game of the quarterfinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament (122-112), a tournament that the North American league is debuting this season. The first matches are a single match, while Thursday's semifinals and Saturday's final will be in a four-way final format at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The NBA created this competition to increase interest in a championship loaded with games during the first part of the season, in which the playoffs were still far away. The 30 teams that make up the regular league played four games among themselves and were divided into six groups. The first six in the group and the two best seconds went on to play in the current final phase from which teams such as the Denver Nuggets, current NBA champions, have been left out.
The league will distribute a prize of $500,000 per head for the Cup-winning team, a motivating element for the players. This new format has had a positive impact for the NBA, as group stage games have had an average of 26% more viewers on national broadcasts than comparable games from last season. In addition, the highest average number of spectators per match in history was recorded in the month of November (18,206 people).
The Boston Celtics bit the dust this morning against the Indiana Pacers, who became the first NBA semifinalists (122-112). The American point guard on Rick Carlisle's team, Tyrese Haliburton, led his team to victory, scoring the first triple-double of his life: 26 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.
Forward Buddy Hield helped eliminate the Celtics, being the Pacers' second-highest scorer last night with 21 points. Jayson Tatum's 32 points and Jaylen Brown's 30 were insufficient for the Boston franchise that did not have one of its biggest stars on the court yesterday, center Kristaps Porzingis.
The Celtics, who have come from being leaders in the Eastern Conference with a balance of 15-5, say goodbye to the first changes to the NBA Cup. The Pacers' opponent in the semifinals will come from the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks-New York Knicks, which will be played in the early hours of Tuesday to Wednesday at the Fiserv Forum.
The New Orleans Pelicans will play in the semifinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament after defeating the Sacramento Kings at home this Monday (117-127). Willie Jean's men, who lost by 15 points in the first quarter, turned the score around, thanks to a brilliant Brandon Ingram who added 30 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists to his tally.
In addition, Herb Jones (23 points and 5 rebounds) and Lithuanian center Jonas Valančiūnas (18 points and 11 rebounds) buried the great performance of the American forward. On the part of the Kings, Domantas Sabonis was the best of the local team, signing a triple-double (26 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists).
Shooting guard Malik Monk was a good boost for Mike Brown's Kings, coming off the bench (21 points). However, the New Orleans Pelicans will face the winner of the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns that will be played on Tuesday in the semifinals this Thursday.
