The bracket for the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup’s knockout round is officially set, and it features only two of the eight quarterfinalists from last year’s in-season tournament.
The Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks all punched their tickets to the quarterfinals with wins on Tuesday, or a loss in the Magic’s case. Not in the field are either of last year’s finalists, the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers. Nor are the 2024 NBA champion Boston Celtics.
Here are the Eastern Conference matchups for the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup:
No. 4 Magic at No. 1 Bucks
No. 3 Hawks at No. 2 Knicks
And the Western Conference:
No. 4 Mavericks at No. 1 Thunder
No. 3 Warriors at No. 2 Rockets
All four quarterfinal games will be played Tuesday, Dec. 10, and Wednesday, Dec. 11, followed by the semifinals and finals on Dec. 14 and 17 in Las Vegas. Exact dates and times for matchups have yet to be determined.
Here is how all the games that mattered in the final day of group play shook out:
Luka Dončić grabs 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 early in the fourth quarter. They ended up pulling out the must-win game, and the key was, as usual, Luka Dončić.
The All-Star posted a monster 37 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four steals to will Dallas into the knockout round. Spencer Dinwiddie and P.J. Washington also came up huge with a run of three straight 3-pointers in the final two minutes.
Had the Mavericks lost, it would have been the Suns going to the quarterfinal.
Dallas’ fate wasn’t assured, though. The Portland Trail Blazers still had a chance to pull it out with the final game of the night, and could have advanced if they beat the Los Angeles Clippers. By 52 points.
Alas, Portland ended up losing 127-105.
Giannis leads blowout of Pistons to clinch East Group B
The Bucks and Pistons met Tuesday in Milwaukee in a winner-take-all clash for the Group B crown. The Pistons never stood a chance.
The Bucks opened up a 36-31 first-quarter lead that they extended to 78-59 at halftime. There was no second-half Pistons rally as Milwaukee secured a 128-107 win. Now a sluggish 11-9 start in Milwaukee comes with the silver lining of a 4-0 record in NBA Cup Group play 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 way for the Bucks in a nearly perfect night from the field. Antetokounmpo hit his first 10 field goal attempts before missing his 11th and last 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 consecutive games following a 4-9 start and is one of the NBA’s hottest teams entering the knockout stage.
Thunder cruise to West Group B win, get help from Suns
The Thunder hold the No. 1 seed in the West, but still entered Tuesday with their fate undecided due to a previous loss to the San Antonio Spurs. To get to Las Vegas, OKC needed both a win over the last-place Utah Jazz and a Spurs loss against the Phoenix Suns.
They got the win first. After a back-and-fourth first quarter, the Thunder built up a lead that topped out at 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 galling 29 Utah turnovers.
The game finished with the Thunder winning 133-106, then came the scoreboard watching.
The Suns pulled off the needed 104-93 win despite losing Kevin Durant to a sprained ankle in the second quarter. Victor Wembanyama had one of his worst games of the season, shooting 6-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 in a winner-take-all matchup for their group Tuesday night. Also like the Bucks and Pistons, this one wasn’t close.
New York opened up a 36-27 first-quarter lead and cruised to a 121-106 win at home. The Knicks win Group A with a 4-0 NBA Cup record that also includes wins over the 76ers, Nets and Hornets. The Magic finish at 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 hold on for wild-card berth to knockout round
The drama in the Group A game quickly shifted from its outcome to its 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 berth 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. Alas, the Magic averted all-out disaster and closed the gap to 15 points for the final whistle. They’ll join the Knicks in the knockout round out of Group A as the wild-card team out of the East. The Celtics are eliminated.
Group C was already decided. The Hawks clinched Group C on Friday with a win over the Cavaliers. Their 3-1 record in group play also included wins over the Celtics and Wizards and a loss to the Bulls.
First appeared on sports.yahoo.com