Rockets-Thunder NBA Cup semifinal was a clash of defense, and it was predictable

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Rockets-Thunder NBA Cup semifinal was a clash of defense, and it was predictable

2024-12-15 12:55 Last Updated At：13:00

LAS VEGAS (AP) — It was midway through the third quarter of the Oklahoma City-Houston NBA Cup semifinal matchup on Saturday night. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just made a short jumper in the lane and, to his delight, a time-out was immediately called.

He needed it.

He retreated to midcourt, crouched down, propped himself up by his fingertips and took deep breath after deep breath. It was that sort of night. And given the way the Rockets and Thunder have defended all season long, such a game was predictable.

In the end, it was Oklahoma City 111, Houston 96 in a game where the teams combined to shoot 41%. The immediate reward for the Thunder: two days off to recover. The bigger reward: a matchup with Milwaukee on Tuesday night for the NBA Cup, with more than $300,000 per player the difference between winning and losing.

“That's what defense does for you,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, whose team has held opponents to 41% shooting or worse a league-best 11 times this season — and is 11-0 in those games. “It keeps you in games.”

The Rockets-Thunder semifinal was basketball, with elements of football, rugby, hockey and probably even some wrestling thrown in. It wasn't unusual. It's how they play: defense-first, tough, gritty, physical.

They are the two top teams in the NBA in terms of field-goal percentage defense — Oklahoma City came in at 42.7%, Houston at 43.4% — and entered the night as two of the top three in scoring defense. Orlando led entering Saturday at 103.7 per game, Oklahoma City was No. 2 at 103.8, Houston No. 3 at 105.9. (The Thunder, by holding Houston to 96, passed the Magic for the top spot on Saturday.)

Houston finished 36.5% from the field, its second-worst showing of the season. When the Rockets shoot 41% or better, they're 17-4. When they don't, they're 0-5.

“Sometimes it comes down to making shots,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Especially in the first half, we guarded well enough. ... But you put a lot of pressure on your defense when you're not making shots.”

Even though scoring across the NBA is down slightly so far this season, about a point per game behind last season's pace and two points from the pace of the 2022-23 season, it's still a golden age for offense in the league. Consider: Boston scored 51 points in a quarter earlier this season.

Saturday was not like most games. The halftime score: Rockets 42, Thunder 41. Neither team crossed the 50-point mark until Dillon Brooks' 3-pointer for Houston gave the Rockets a 51-45 lead with 8:46 left in the third quarter.

Brooks is generally considered one of the game's tougher defenders. Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the game's best scorers. They're teammates on Canada's national team, and they had some 1-on-1 moments on Saturday.

“It's fun. It makes you better,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That's what this league is about, competing against the best in the world and defensively, he is that for sure. And I like to think that of myself offensively. He gives me a chance to really see where I'm at, a good test. I'd say I handled it pretty well.”

Indeed he did. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 32 points, the fifth instance this season of someone scoring that many against the Rockets. He's done it twice, and the Thunder scored 70 points in the second half to pull away.

“We knew that if we kept getting stops we would give ourselves a chance,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “And we did so.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter wins Heisman Trophy as college football's top player

2024-12-15 12:39 Last Updated At：12:50

NEW YORK (AP) — Travis Hunter turned every play into prime time — on both sides of the ball — and ultimately took home the Heisman Trophy.

Now he’s got a leg up on his celebrity coach at Colorado.

The two-way star won college football's most prestigious award Saturday night, punctuating a tireless performance all season by a dynamic player with a unique combination of skills.

“Never thought I would be in this position,” a tearful Hunter said as he thanked everyone from his fiancée to family members and former and current coaches. “It's crazy. Belief takes you a long way.”

While posing for countless photos with the iconic statue over the past two days, Hunter made a point not to put his hands on the Heisman. He said he didn't want to touch it unless it was his.

Once it finally was, he grabbed the trophy hard with two hands and let loose a happy scream: “Let's go!”

Next stop, a local spot he reserved to celebrate with teammates.

“I don't like to be out late, but I'm going to be out late tonight,” Hunter said, smiling.

A big-play wide receiver and lockdown cornerback, Hunter dominated on offense and defense for coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes, joining late running back Rashaan Salaam in 1994 as the only Heisman winners in school history.

Hunter received 552 first-place votes and 2,231 points in a comfortable victory. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was the runner-up with 309 first-place votes and 2,017 points, the closest margin since 2009.

Hunter garnered 80.14% of possible points, the 11th-highest in Heisman Trophy history, and joined Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson (1997) as the only full-time defensive players to claim the prize. Woodson also made some big plays at wideout, but didn't spend nearly as much time on offense as Hunter.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel came in third and Miami quarterback Cam Ward finished fourth in balloting for the 90th Heisman Trophy, presented annually since 1935 to the nation’s most outstanding player. This year’s ceremony was held at Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan, where Sanders was in attendance.

It marked only the fifth time this century a quarterback didn’t win. The last time no signal-caller placed in the top two was 2015, when running backs Derrick Henry of Alabama and Christian McCaffrey ran 1-2 in voting.

Hunter also won The Associated Press player of the year among a string of other individual awards this week. He helped spark an impressive turnaround at Colorado, from 4-8 in 2023 when he missed 3 1/2 games because of injuries to 9-3 this year in Sanders’ second season. The 20th-ranked Buffaloes got their first bowl bid in four years and will face No. 17 BYU (10-2) in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.

Hunter has pledged to play, rather than skip the game to prepare for the NFL draft and prevent any possible injury as many top prospects do. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior from Suwanee, Georgia, plans to pass up his senior season in Boulder and is expected to be a top-five pick by the pros — perhaps even No. 1 overall.

“He wants to be great at everything,” Sanders said. “He wants to have a commitment to excellence in everything he does — including fishing.”

Showcasing his blazing speed and explosive playmaking, Hunter rarely came off the field this year — making him an every-down throwback to generations gone by and the first full-time, true two-way star in decades.

On offense, he had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns, plus a rushing score. On defense, he made four interceptions, 32 tackles, broke up 11 passes and forced a critical fumble that secured an overtime victory against Baylor.

With the Buffaloes winning games and challenging for a Big 12 title, he soared from a long-shot underdog in Heisman futures last summer to a heavy betting favorite this week.

All the while, striking the Heisman pose with teammates to celebrate big plays as it became more and more clear Hunter was the man to beat.

“I definitely can kick, (too). I’ve just got to practice,” he said. “I can’t stop moving when I’m not on the field.”

Hunter played nearly 700 snaps each on offense and defense — the only Power Four conference player with 30-plus snaps on both sides of the ball, according to Colorado research.

It would seem an overly exhausting workload for any player these days, both mentally and physically, but not Hunter.

“I think I laid the ground for more people to come in and go two ways,” he said Friday. “It starts with your mindset. If you believe you can do it, then you’ll be able to do it. And also, I do a lot of treatment. I keep up with my body. I get a lot of recovery.”

Rated the country’s top recruit in the 2022 class, Hunter stunned many observers when he committed to play for Sanders at Jackson State, an HBCU that competes in the lower-level FCS, with the promise of playing both offense and defense.

“A lot of people told me I couldn't do it,” said Hunter, wearing white shoes and a light blue suit — his favorite color. "I always say I'm going to prove them wrong and I'm going to prove myself right."

After one season, Hunter followed Sanders to Colorado and was a consensus All-America selection as an all-purpose player last year despite sitting out three games with a lacerated liver caused by a late hit.

Following his recovery, a healthy Hunter finished strong in 2023 and then really took off this season, catching passes from Shedeur Sanders, the coach’s son, and becoming Colorado’s first Heisman Trophy finalist in 30 years.

The 21-year-old Hunter, who plans to get married in May, is the sixth transfer to take the award over the past eight years and the first winner to begin his career in the FCS.

“Look where I'm at. It paid off,” Hunter said.

“I wanted to be different,” he added later. “Me being different makes me feel more comfortable than doing the norm.”

Deion Sanders, nicknamed Prime Time during his playing days — seemingly by himself — was a two-time All-America defensive back at Florida State and finished eighth in 1988 Heisman voting.

An electrifying kick returner, who also played major league baseball by the way, Neon Deion went on to a Hall of Fame career as an NFL cornerback but mostly just dabbled on offense besides a 36-catch season with the 1996 Dallas Cowboys.

Nothing quite like Hunter, who now has Heisman bragging rights on Coach Prime forever.

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