Hemel and Reading both progressed on Saturday evening, punching their ticket to Manchester's National Basketball Performance Centre on Sunday 19 January.
Six D1M games were also settled, with Reading pulling level at the top of the standings after their win against Newcastle yesterday.
We take a look back at all the weekend's action below, with links to live stats at the bottom of the page.
Derby came through a close one with Milton Keynes yesterday, winning 77-74.
Blayne Freckleton's last-second three-point attempt couldn't tie the scores for the visitors, instead leaving DTB to pick up their ninth win of the season behind 31 points and eight boards from captain Malcolm Smith.
Derby's new signing Kyle Jimenez endured a low key debut, going 0/4 from the floor, but six assists showed flashes of the talented guard's potential as David Simental returned from injury, dropping 20 points in the process.
MK looked in a strong position to take the win as they led by double digits at the half, but the hosts slowly fought back after the main change, with a 26-17 final frame providing just enough to turn the contest around.
KJ Johnson (34pts, 13ast) and Nate Robinson (22pts) led the way for the Breakers, though no other MK player was able to make it to double digits on the score board.
The win keeps Derby in the mix at the top, and just two points behind the front two of Hemel and Reading. MK remain stuck in a tight battle for the playoff spots, with fifth down to ninth now separated by just two points.
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There was another close battle between Bristol Hurricanes (6-6) and Essex Rebels (7-5), with the visitors sneaking out of Bristol with a 76-72 win.
Twenty one points and seven rebounds from Essex's Emmanuel Kanwei helped get the Rebels over the line, though Bristol did pull to within a point of tying things up late before Essex iced the game from the line.
Milton Keynes may have dipped against Derby but they started the weekend by edging London Cavaliers (6-6) 90-89 in yet another tense D1M encounter.
MK's K.J Johnson (22pts, 9ast, 7reb) and London's Justin Robinson (21pts, 5reb) enjoyed a great back-and-forth battle in that one, with Johnson's side just keeping themselves out in front despite a late fightback from the visitors.
Bradford Dragons (1-10) are winless no more after their 93-83 victory on the road against Loughborough Riders (8-4).
The win was powered by a 23-12 third quarter plus a 23-point, eight-rebound effort from Kofi Josephs.
Thirty one points from Zack Powell helped City of Birmingham Rockets (6-7) ease past Nottingham Hoods (2-10), with a 100-73 final score.
Powell added six rebounds and seven assist to his scoring exploits, doing more than enough to get the Rockets their sixth win of the season.
With Hemel out of D1M action this weekend, Reading Rockets (10-3) Newcastle Knights (4-7) 100-79 to move level at the top of the standings yesterday.
A 30-17 second frame put the Rockets up early, with their lead growing the longer the game went on behind 20 points from Mitch Clarke.
The 2023 winners Hemel Storm are heading back to Manchester again after they beat Newcastle Knights 108-77.
After an even opening quarter, the D1M co-leaders moved through the gears to win at a canter with Trent Monkman (22pts, 5reb), Darien Nelson-Henry (18pts, 8reb) and Sam Newman (11pts, 15ast, 7reb) all impressing.
Shooting 62% in the contest, Hemel were tough to slow down as they now stand just one win away from their third Cup success, whilst Newcastle's dreams are done for another year.
The other semi-final was a nail biter, with Reading Rockets emerging as 82-77 winners on the road against Derby Trailblazers.
The difference between the sides was five points or less for large chunks of the second half, though it was Reading that led for all but the shortest period of the final 20 minutes. They'll now return to the Final for the second year in a row, hoping to go one better than their loss to Milton Keynes in 2023/24's showpiece.
Twenty one points from Victor Olarerin and 14 apiece from Justin Hopkins and Zain Poorman helped Reading to come out on top, cancelling out a game-high 28 points from Derby's David Simental.
2pm - Bristol Hurricanes 72-76 Essex Rebels - LIVE STATS
5pm - Milton Keynes Breakers 90-89 London Cavaliers - LIVE STATS
6pm - Loughborough Riders 83-93 Bradford Dragons - LIVE STATS / LIVE STREAM
7pm - Nottingham Hoods 73-100 City of Birmingham Rockets - LIVE STATS
7pm - Hemel Storm 108-77 Newcastle Knights - LIVE STATS / LIVE STREAM
7:30pm - Derby Trailblazers 77-82 Reading Rockets - LIVE STATS
4pm - Reading Rockets 101-79 Newcastle Knights - LIVE STATS
4pm - Derby Trailblazers 77-74 Milton Keynes Breakers - LIVE STATS
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Main image credit - Nick Higgins
