The qualifying round for the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup knockout round has been officially set and will feature just two of the eight quarter-finalists from last year’s season-long tournament.
The Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks all punched their ticket to the quarterfinals on Tuesday with wins, or losses in the case of the Magic. The Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets had already secured their spot in the quarterfinals. None of last year’s finalists, the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers, are on the field. That includes the 2024 NBA champions, Boston Celtics.
Here are the Eastern Conference matchups for the NBA Cup Quarterfinals:
No. 4 Magic at No. 1 Bucks (7 p.m. ET Tuesday, Dec. 10; TNT)
No. 3 Hawks and No. 2 Knicks (7 p.m. ET Wednesday, Dec. 11; ESPN)
And the Western Conference:
No. 4 Mavericks at No. 1 Thunder (9:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, December 11; TNT)
No. 3 Warriors at No. 2 Rockets (9:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, December 11; TNT)
All four quarterfinals will be played on Tuesday, December 10 and Wednesday, December 11, followed by the semifinals and finals on December 14 and 17 in Las Vegas.
Here’s how all the games that mattered stood out on the final day of group play:
Luka Dončić takes wild card for Mavericks with monster game
The Mavericks were on the brink of elimination in the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies, trailing by 15 points at the start of the fourth quarter. In the end they pulled out the match they had to win and the key, as usual, was Luka Dončić.
The All-Star posted a monster 37 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four steals to lead Dallas to the knockout round. Spencer Dinwiddie and PJ Washington also scored big with a run of three straight 3-pointers in the final two minutes.
If the Mavericks had lost, the Suns would have advanced to the quarterfinals.
However, Dallas’ fate was not assured. The Portland Trail Blazers still had a chance to pull it out in the final game of the night, and could have advanced had they beaten the Los Angeles Clippers. With 52 points.
Unfortunately, Portland ultimately lost 127-105.
Giannis leads Pistons’ blowout to clinch East Group B
The Bucks and Pistons met Tuesday in Milwaukee in a winner-take-all game for the Group B crown. The Pistons had no chance.
The Bucks opened a 36-31 lead in the first quarter, which they extended to 78-59 at halftime. There was no Pistons rally in the second half as Milwaukee secured a 128–107 win. Now comes a slow 11-9 start in Milwaukee with the silver lining of a 4-0 record in the NBA Cup bracket and a trip to the Knockout Round.
The Pistons fall to 3-1 in group play and are eliminated from the NBA Cup.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks from the field on a nearly perfect night. Antetokounmpo hit his first 10 field goal attempts before missing his 11th and final en route to a 28-point, eight-rebound effort.
The Bucks secure the Group B crown with wins over the Raptors, Pacers and Heat, in addition to the Pistons. Milwaukee has now won seven straight games after a 4-9 start and is one of the NBA’s hottest teams entering the knockout stages.
Thunder cruise to West Group B victory, get help from Suns
The Thunder are No. 1 in the West, but still entered Tuesday with an undecided fate due to a previous loss to the San Antonio Spurs. To reach Las Vegas, OKC needed both a win over the last-place Utah Jazz and a loss for the Spurs against the Phoenix Suns.
They were the first to win. After a second and fourth first quarter, the Thunder built a lead that reached 33 points in the second half. Seven different players scored in double figures – led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 26 points – while the defense as a whole forced a whopping 29 Utah turnovers.
The match ended with Thunder winning 133-106, and the scoreboard came into view.
The Suns got the needed 104-93 victory despite losing Kevin Durant to a sprained ankle in the second quarter. Victor Wembanyama had one of his worst games of the season, shooting six of 18 from the field for 15 points with four turnovers, plus 13 rebounds and seven assists.
Knicks dominate Magic to secure East Group A
Like the Bucks and Pistons, the Knicks and Magic met Tuesday night in a winner-take-all game for their bracket. Like the Bucks and Pistons, this one wasn’t close.
New York opened a 36-27 lead in the first quarter and cruised to a 121-106 victory at home. The Knicks won Group A with a 4-0 NBA Cup record, including wins over the 76ers, Nets and Hornets. The Magic finish 3-1 in group play with wins over the Hornets, 76ers and Nets.
Karl-Anthony Towns led a balanced Knicks offensive effort with 23 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks.
Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Miles McBride each scored at least 18 points. Josh Hart added a triple-double with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
Magic sweat, but wait until the wildcard berth for the knockout round
The drama in the Group A match quickly changed from the outcome to the final margin. The Magic entered the game with a plus-37 point differential over the Celtics for the wild-card berth in the East. As long as they didn’t lose by more than 36 points, the Magic would still secure the wild-card spot as the best-performing second-place team out of the three Eastern Conference groups.
The Knicks extended their lead to 37 points at 103-67 late in the third quarter. The Magic avoided total disaster, closing the gap to 15 points before the final whistle. They will join the Knicks in the Group A knockout round as the wild-card team from the East. The Celtics are out.
Group C had already been decided. The Hawks advanced to Group C with a win over the Cavaliers on Friday. Their 3-1 record in group play also included wins over the Celtics and Wizards and a loss to the Bulls.
