The first half of the NBA Cup Quarterfinals is now over, and the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks are both heading to Las Vegas.
The Magic and Knicks won their respective games Tuesday night and will now face each other in the semifinals in Las Vegas later this week.
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This also leads to a substantial increase. Each full-time player on the Magic and Knicks rosters earned a salary of $106,187 via a salary scale that increases with each subsequent round of the NBA Cup. Championship-winning players will earn $530,933, a nice payday regardless of account and a substantial raise for everyone playing on the league minimum salary of $1.366 million.
Desmond Bane continues his rise after a slow start with Magic
The Miami Heat took control early Tuesday night with a 15-0 lead over the Magic in their quarterfinal matchup to kick off NBA Cup action.
But as is usually the case with double-digit leads in the NBA, the advantage wasn’t certain. Triggered by Desmond Bane, the Magic rallied to take their first lead of the game at 47-46 before halftime. In the fourth quarter, they were in complete control a 117-108 victory.
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After scoring two points in the first quarter, Bane finished with 37 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. The former Memphis sharpshooter had his best shooting night since joining the Magic this season, shooting 14 of 24 from the floor and 6 of 9 from 3.
Bane sparked Orlando’s second-quarter rally with 10 points as the Magic outscored the Heat 39-27 in the stanza. And he helped keep the Heat at bay after halftime with four 3-pointers on five attempts.
After a rough start to his Magic career, Tuesday’s performance marked Bane’s third 37-point effort in his last six games.
The Magic have needed production from Bane amid injuries to their veteran stars. All-Star Paolo Banchero previously missed 10 games with a groin strain. He was back for a third straight game Tuesday night with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. But Star forward Franz Wagner missed first game of what is expected to be a multi-week absence with a sprained ankle.
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Despite the injuries, the Magic got off to a 15-10 start, putting them in fourth place in the East after Tuesday’s game and are now in position to win the NBA Cup. They will need Bane’s continued solid play to maintain their momentum.
Jalen Brunson and the Knicks are rolling to win
The second match of the evening was not as close as the first. The Toronto Raptors have had a tough time fighting.
The Knicks earned a dominant 117-101 victory over the Raptors to secure their spot in the semifinals. They have now reached the semi-finals of the NBA Cup for the first time after failing to reach the quarter-finals in the first two years of its existence.
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Although the Raptors came out of the gate well, they stopped in the second quarter on Tuesday night. The Knicks took a 17-point lead into the break in their game at Scotiabank Arena after holding Toronto to just 13 points as a group in the second quarter. A 3-pointer by Jamal Shead in the final minute before halftime was the only shot of the period the Raptors made from outside the restricted area. There was almost nothing in Toronto.
Jalen Brunson, on the other hand, was almost perfect offensively. He dropped 26 points in the first half alone and shot 10 of 12 from the field.
It was just a hole that the Raptors never recovered from. The Knicks held a 15-point lead entering the final period, then cruised to a 16-point win. Brunson finished with 35 points with six 3-pointers. Josh Hart added 21 points and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 14 points and 17 rebounds. The Knicks have now won eight of their last nine games and hold a 17-7 record.
Brandon Ingram led the Raptors with 31 points and seven assists. Shead had 18 points and Scottie Barnes dropped 13 points. The loss, their fourth in a row, brought the Raptors to 15-11 on the season.
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Although the Knicks have been great at home — they hold a 13-1 record at Madison Square Garden this season — Tuesday night was probably the best they’ve played on the road so far this year. If they manage to make the transition to the West in the coming days, they will be tough to beat.
