By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Two of the biggest NBA stars will be present in Las Vegas aiming for the first ever in-season tournament trophy. The Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo and the King LeBron James will be part of the attraction after getting the quarterfinal wins.
LeBron had a historic performance with 31 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and five steals, the Lakers got the 106-103 win, but before they were awarded a timeout asked by LeBron, while the ball was clearly out of their possession and the Suns trailed by two.
Anthony Davis who had in total 27 points and 15 rebounds got fouled after that, made one free throw and Kevin Durant missed at the buzzer the chance to send the game to overtime.
In total, KD had a stellar game with 31 points on 12/17 FG. Bosnian center Jusuf Nurkic despite early foul troubles finished the night with three points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Τhe Lakers led by 15 in the first half and entered the third period with a 12-point advantage (59-47) but the Suns managed to turn the tables and even got the lead, making it a close contest until the end.
The Lakers will face the Pelicans in the in-season tournament semifinals.
In the East, Antetokounmpo had 35 points and 10 assists, Damian Lillard added 28 points, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the New York Knicks 146-122 to reach the semifinals of the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament.
The Bucks posted a season high in scoring, shooting 60.5% (23 of 38) from 3-point range and 60.4% overall to set up a matchup with Indiana in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Milwaukee is 5-0 in tournament play and extended its home winning streak to nine games. The Bucks (15-6) have won 10 of 12 overall. The Bucks pulled ahead by as many as 18 points in the third quarter and led by 27 in the fourth.
Coach Adrian Griffin emptied his bench, giving rare playing time to Antetokounmpo’s brother, Thanasis who scored two points, and Robin Lopez, the twin brother of starting center Brook Lopez.
Julius Randle scored a season-high 41 points for the Knicks, whose three-game winning streak was snapped. Jalen Brunson added 24 points and R.J. Barrett scored 23 for New York, which earned a wild-card berth in the knockout round through a point-differential tiebreaker.
German big man Isaiah Hartenstein added four points and seven rebounds for the Knicks.