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LAS VEGAS – As intense, as lively and as ugly as much of Saturday’s second semifinal game of the Emirates NBA Cup was, the league could be witnessing a new, bitter rivalry.

Oklahoma City and Houston began the day at or near the top of the Western Conference. They ranked first and second, respectively, in defensive efficiency. And as the Thunder’s 111-96 win at T-Mobile Arena showed, two of the NBA’s youngest teams could be competing for the same spot in the West for a long time.

But first things first. Before the Thunder and Rockets can expand their depth (they meet five times this season, not counting a possible postseason meeting), OKC will face Milwaukee for the Cup championship on Tuesday. Bragging rights and more than $500,000 per player on the winning team are at stake, not necessarily in that order.

Here are five takeaways from OKC’s triumph there on Saturday:

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1. Good defense means bad offense

We expected a duel in the dirt, with each team fighting for every shot and feeling contact with every move and cut. Both teams take extreme pride in their defense. But it got a bit ridiculous at times.

The Thunder scored just nine points in the first nine minutes of the game. Through 12, the teams combined to shoot 13 of 47, including 4 of 22 on 3-pointers. They had nine turnovers, which were not a burden for either team as no one was able to convert even the mistakes into easy points.

Of course, given the two coaches involved – OKC’s Mark Daigneault and Houston’s Ime Udoka – a bucket saved is worth more than a bucket earned. You can imagine that both of them happily took advantage of their chances and in the last 24 seconds there was a 0-0 draw.

“We’re just trying to be disruptive and disciplined,” said Daigneault, who was fine after a sluggish first half. “We were disruptive tonight. We did a really good job with the main actors. … Our shooting competition was great. Our help was great.”

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2. Professional goalscorer moves up

This kind of dirty obstruction can only take a team so far. The difference that emerged in the second half was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the slippery Thunder guard, who scored 20 of his game-high 32 points after halftime. He shot 6 of 9 after opening 3 of 12, and his 14 points from the foul line equaled or exceeded all but one Houston player.

Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 30 points per game for the third straight season. Nobody on these Rockets has an average of 20. When your top three scorers combine for 73 points and the other guys are eliminated at 47, the math becomes too daunting.

Daigneault praised SGA for its “unwavering confidence,” which is a euphemism for the lack of conscience and short memories of elite scorers.

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3. Houston’s failed start

The Rockets may not be at the “Houston, we have a problem” stage yet, but they were an offensive mess on Saturday. And it wasn’t just a credit to the Thunder. They finished 17th at the start and looked rudimentary from start to finish.

The starting backcourt shot 8-for-29, including 2-for-19 from beyond the arc. Fred VanVleet only scored eight points. Jalen Green had 12. Houston ranks 18th in 3-point attempts (35.9) but was determined to get to 46 this time. It averages 32.2%, making it better than just three teams. Tonight it was 23.9%.

It is clear that Udoka has placed his emphasis on defense and has achieved good results. But an offensive order with top scorers and sets is a necessary ingredient that the Rockets are still looking for.

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4. Hartenstein stays on his track

Isaiah Hartenstein’s competition at center on Saturday was Rockets big man Alperen Sengun, the highly skilled fourth-year native of Turkey. Udoka has referred to Sengun as a “mini” Nikola Jokić, a reference to his man’s passing game and high basket IQ.

But Hartenstein looked pretty smart as he scored 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting and eight rebounds. Hartenstein, a surgical free agent signing from New York, is averaging a double-double by rolling Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and other Thunder players and generally making himself available.

OKC was undersized last season with slender Chet Holmgren carrying too much of a load even as the team secured the West’s No. 1 seed. Now, with Holmgren coming back from his brutal hip fracture, the Thunder will be able to torment their foes with looks of all kinds, including a true twin-tower unit.

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5. Stars will appear on Tuesday

Since this is Las Vegas, the house featured notables from music, sports, and of course the NBA from various venues (the Strip, Hollywood, etc.). Legends like Oscar Robertson and Spencer Haywood sat on the sidelines, as did Gary Payton, Rip Hamilton and Blake Griffin. Then there was former Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah near a bench who had to be reminded to tuck his legs in lest he cause a Shaq Larry David faux pas.

But the stars the NBA would most like to feature for the Cup Finals are Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks, two guys who are in the conversation for Kia MVP again this season.

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Steve Aschburner has been writing about the NBA since 1980. You can send him an email Herefind his archive here And Follow him on X.

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