Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault described the first half of Saturday's NBA Cup semifinal between the league's two stingiest defensive teams as "muddled." That's about the most pleasant word that can be used to describe the worst shooting half of the season for both the Thunder and the Houston Rockets.

The Oklahoma City Thunder collected a much-needed 111-96 win over the Houston Rockets in the 2024 NBA Cup semifinals. They will face the Milwaukee Bucks in the finals. The early moments of this contest resembled what a duel between the league's best two defenses should look like.

With 26 teams eliminated and three still standing in the second annual NBA Cup, the festivities have moved to the league's unofficial western headquarters for semifinal games on Saturday and a winner-take-all title bout between Saturday's winners on Tuesday.