NBA Cup updates: Knockout round set as Bucks, Knicks, Mavs clinch

In the West, the Dallas Mavericks (West wild card) clinched a last-second spot after Tuesday’s slate of games and will face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder (West Group B Winners) next week. The Golden State Warriors (West Group C winners) will take on the Houston Rockets (West Group A winners).

EASTERN CONFERENCE quarterfinals:

(3) Atlanta Hawks at (2) New York Knicks

(4) Orlando Magic at (1) Milwaukee Bucks

WESTERN CONFERENCE quarterfinals:

(4) Dallas Mavericks at (1) Oklahoma City Thunder

(3) Golden State Warriors at (2) Houston Rockets

As group play comes to a close, let’s recap the biggest moments from Tuesday’s slate of games and break down how teams reached the quarterfinals.

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East bracket

The New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks clinched East Groups A and B, respectively, Tuesday night, bringing the Eastern Conference half of the knockout round of the NBA Cup into focus.

New York will be hosting the Atlanta Hawks in one quarterfinal matchup, with the Bucks and Orlando Magic facing off in the other.

It briefly looked as if the Knicks could throw things into chaos when they led by as many as 37 points in the third quarter — which would’ve been enough to eliminate Orlando, and allow the Boston Celtics to advance as the wild card. But Orlando outscored the New York by 16 in the fourth quarter to make the 121-106 final score look respectable, and lock the Knicks into a showdown with Trae Young and the Hawks.

Atlanta, which won Group C after beating the Celtics in Boston with Young sidelined, will now give Young another opportunity to take down the Knicks on a big stage. In 2021, Young led the Hawks to a five-game victory in the first round of the playoffs over New York, including winning two games at Madison Square Garden.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, continued its recent resurgence with a blowout win over the Detroit Pistons, which would’ve advanced if they had won. Instead, the Bucks are back in the quarterfinals for a second straight season, and will host the Magic — who should still be without star Paolo Banchero — for a shot at advancing to Las Vegas.

The other three teams to make it to the semifinals last season — the Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans and the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers — all failed to advance to the quarterfinals this season. — Tim Bontemps

West bracket

The West quarterfinals of the NBA Cup feature four newcomers to the knockout stage of the tournament as none of last season’s four quarterfinalists return. The West field also boasts two of last season’s top three finishers for MVP (Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) plus two-time MVP Stephen Curry.

I particularly like that both quarterfinals matchups pit an up-and-coming team against a more established power. The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, who weren’t assured a spot in the bracket until the Phoenix Suns beat the San Antonio Spurs later Tuesday, will host the Dallas Mavericks in a rematch of last season’s six-game conference semifinals.

In the other matchup, the Houston Rockets — who last reached the NBA playoffs in the 2020 bubble — will host Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Houston has a chance to be this season’s version of the Indiana Pacers, who parlayed their trip to the inaugural NBA Cup final coming off multiple seasons in the draft lottery into a run to the Eastern Conference finals. — Kevin Pelton

2024 Emirates NBA Cup schedule

All times ET

Quarterfinals, Dec. 10

Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 7 p.m. (TNT)
Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 9:30 p.m. (TNT)

Quarterfinals, Dec. 11

Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets, 9:30 p.m. (TNT)

Dec. 14

Semifinals 1, 4:30 p.m. (TNT)
Semifinals 2, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)

Dec. 17

Championship, 8:30 p.m. (ABC)

Previous group stage results

Nov. 12

Hawks 117, Celtics 116
Magic 114, Hornets 89
Pistons 123, Heat 121 (OT)
Knicks 111, 76ers 99
Bucks 99, Raptors 85
Suns 120, Jazz 112
Trail Blazers 122, Timberwolves 108
Warriors 120, Mavericks 117

In England, for example, there are the various divisions — led by the Premier League — and also the FA Cup competition. But unlike those European leagues, which play their cup competitions outside of their league schedules, the NBA Cup is built into the regular-season slate.

The 30 NBA teams were split into six five-team groups — three featuring Eastern Conference teams, and three comprising teams from the West — with each team then playing one game against the other four in their group. The winner of each group, plus the team with the best record among the nongroup winners, will then advance to the knockout rounds.

How will this impact the regular-season schedule and standings?

Typically, the NBA sends out a full 82-game schedule in mid-August. Now, though, the league sends out only 80 games and leaves a gap for roughly a week to fill in later, depending on how the group stage of the NBA Cup plays out.

The teams that reach the NBA Cup’s finale will actually play 83 games — though the championship game won’t count toward the standings or any statistical markers. Those that lose in the semifinals will have played their full 82-game schedule and won’t need anything added.

The two teams from both the East and West that lose in the quarterfinals will play their 82nd game against one another on one of four dates: Dec. 12, 13, 15 or 16. Meanwhile, the 22 teams that fail to qualify for the knockout rounds will have their final two games scheduled — one at home and one on the road — on Dec. 12 or 13 and 15 or 16 against others eliminated in the group stage.

Why does the NBA Cup include regular-season games?

Before its launch, one of the main questions surrounding the in-season tournament was why any team would be incentivized to compete in it. By making every game part of the season — and, being in-conference, potentially important from a playoff-tiebreaker standpoint — the NBA ensured teams will be motivated.

If this had been set up like the cup tournaments in European soccer, there would have been nothing stopping NBA teams from opting out, literally or figuratively — sitting their top players for extra rest.

What teams make up the groups?

To create the groups, the NBA put all 15 teams in each conference into five pots, separated by their finish in last season’s standings. Pot 1 included the teams that finished 1-3 in regular-season record, teams 4-6 went into Pot 2, teams 7-9 into Pot 3, teams 10-12 into Pot 4 and teams 13-15 into Pot 5.

As a result, the following groups were drawn:

East A: New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets
East B: Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons
East C: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards

West A: Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers
West B: Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs
West C: Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies

Does one group stand out the most from the others?

Yes, there is an obvious one: West Group C, featuring the Nuggets, Mavericks, Pelicans, Warriors and Grizzlies.

Because of how the draw is performed, Golden State and Memphis, which dealt with a combination of suspensions and injuries, are significantly stronger than you would anticipate teams in the bottom two pots to be.

But in addition to featuring the reigning MVP in Nikola Jokic and Zion Williamson, the group also could offer the first meeting between Klay Thompson and his former team after the guard signed with Dallas following 13 seasons with Golden State.

What do players get for winning?

Last year, the players on the winning team received $500,000 each, while those on the runners-up got $200,000. The losing players of the semifinals each got $100,000, and those ousted in the quarterfinals each got $50,000.

This year, the prizes will be slightly higher because of negotiated raises year over year to keep pace with increases in the salary cap and basketball related income as part of the most recent collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association.

Will anyone earn individual honors for their play in NBA Cup games?

There will be an MVP award, as well as an all-tournament team.

Will this have any impact on the playoffs?

Not beyond the games counting in the regular-season standings (and toward tiebreakers). Though there was debate among league insiders about guaranteeing a playoff berth for winning the tournament, ultimately that idea (or any other to further incentivize teams) was not enacted.

The debate continued after last year’s in-season tournament winner, the Lakers, wound up in the play-in tournament, while the runner-up, the Pacers, narrowly avoided landing in it. But, in the end, the only playoff impact comes from the wins and losses accrued throughout the tournament.

Why is it called the Emirates NBA Cup?

The league struck a sponsorship deal with Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, to sponsor the tournament after its initial run. The NBA said last year that it went with the most basic titles for both the tournament and its trophy — the “in-season tournament” and “NBA Cup” — as a way to introduce the concept to fans.

However, using such nondescript names had another clear advantage: It gave the league a blank slate in case the tournament and cup became properties it ended up selling to a sponsor, and avoided the complications that could arise by naming them after someone (for example, the late NBA commissioner David Stern, one possibility that had been floated before the tournament was officially unveiled).