Washington (United States) (AFP) – The Orlando Magic, sparked by 37 points from Desmond Bane, and the New York Knicks advanced to an NBA Cup semi-final showdown with breakthrough triumphs on Tuesday. Bane went 6-of-9 from three-point range and added six rebounds and five assists in Orlando’s 117-108 victory over visiting Miami. Jalen Suggs added 20 points for the Magic, who, despite lacking top scorer Franz Wagner due to a high ankle sprain, won for the 11th time in 15 games and improved to 5-0 in Cup play.
“We need these reps. We need to play in these meaningful games,” Bane said. “We’re a young team trying to make something happen like a run, so we need these moments.”
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New York’s Jalen Brunson scored 35 points, 20 of them in the first quarter, to power the Knicks over host Toronto 117-101 in Tuesday’s other quarter-final. Josh Hart added 21 points for the Knicks while Karl-Anthony Towns had 14 points and 16 rebounds as New York won for the eighth time in nine games.
“We knew it was going to be a tough one,” Hart said. “We had to be ready. Defensively the second quarter was amazing. We only gave up 13 points, and that’s where we were really able to build our lead and put the game away. It’s about winning every game, winning every possession. If you do that, you’ll get to the end goal.”
The Knicks, quarter-final losers the past two years, and the Magic, on their best Cup run, will meet in a Saturday semi-final at Las Vegas, with the winner advancing to next Tuesday’s Cup final. At Orlando, Bane scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to deny Miami any chance of a comeback.
“Winning time,” Bane said. “That’s all I care about is winning.” Paolo Banchero, who returned last Friday after missing 10 games with a groin strain, added 18 points for the Magic, who delivered Miami a fourth consecutive loss. Norman Powell led Miami with 21 points while Herro added 20.
– Knicks surge early –
At Toronto, Brunson hit 7-of-9 shots from the floor and 4-of-6 three-pointers in the first quarter to ignite an early New York surge. The Knicks opened the second quarter with a 19-4 run to seize a 54-43 lead and stretched it to 69-52 at half-time. Toronto, led by Brandon Ingram’s 31 points, suffered a sixth defeat in seven games and a 10th consecutive loss to New York.
Wednesday’s quarter-finals see Phoenix at Oklahoma City and the San Antonio Spurs at the Los Angeles Lakers. Reigning NBA champions Oklahoma City will try to stretch their win streak to a club-record 16 games and overall record to 24-1, matching Golden State in 2015 for the best 25-game start in NBA history. San Antonio will be without Victor Wembanyama because of a left calf strain that has sidelined him for almost a month.
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