Orlando to face New York in NBA Cup semis at Vegas

AFP | London

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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 threepoint 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.”

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.”