Knicks, Bucks Among Teams Set for NBA Cup Quarterfinals
NEW YORK — The stage is officially set for the knockout rounds of the NBA Cup, and if you’re looking for a repeat champion, you’re out of luck. This year’s tournament field is almost unrecognizable compared to last year’s inaugural edition, with fresh faces and new storylines ready to unfold.
By the time the dust settled on Tuesday night, eight teams had punched their tickets to the quarterfinals. Representing the East are the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, and Orlando Magic. Out West, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and Dallas Mavericks will battle it out for a shot at glory.
Notably absent from the mix are last year’s NBA Cup champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. Their hopes of defending the title were dashed after losses to the Phoenix Suns and Thunder last week. In fact, only two teams from last year’s final eight—the Bucks and Knicks—managed to return to the knockout rounds this season. Talk about a shake-up!
Quarterfinal Matchups Are Set
The quarterfinals promise plenty of drama, with matchups scheduled for next week. On Tuesday, the Magic will visit the Bucks, while the Mavericks head to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder. Wednesday’s action will feature the Hawks taking on the Knicks in New York and the Warriors traveling to Houston to face the Rockets. The stakes? A trip to Las Vegas for the semifinals and a shot at the NBA Cup title.
“Yeah, it’s great,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said about his team advancing. “They put a tournament in front of us, and we want to win it. We said that early on, and we’re 4-0. But we still have a lot of work to do.”
Tuesday Night Drama: Who’s In and Who’s Out?
Heading into Tuesday, the stakes couldn’t have been higher. While the Hawks, Rockets, and Warriors had already secured their spots as group winners, five other spots were still up for grabs. Two games in the East—Magic at Knicks and Bucks at Pistons—had direct “win and you’re in” implications, determining the winners of Groups A and B, respectively.
Both games delivered early fireworks, but the drama didn’t last long. The Knicks and Bucks jumped out to commanding halftime leads and never looked back. The only lingering question? Whether the Knicks could blow out the Magic by enough points to knock Orlando out of the quarterfinals entirely and allow the Boston Celtics to sneak in as the wild card.
At one point, New York led by as many as 37 points—the exact margin they needed to eliminate the Magic. But Orlando clawed back in the fourth quarter, ultimately falling 121-106. The Magic’s massive plus-60 point differential entering the game proved to be their saving grace, earning them the wild card spot despite the loss.
“We earned our way into the quarterfinal,” Magic forward Franz Wagner said. “Obviously not our best game today, but that’s why you play hard every minute in the other games. It feels weird even after a game like this to advance, but it’s just part of it.”
Western Conference Chaos
Out West, the Thunder emerged as the top seed in dramatic fashion. Both Houston and Golden State entered Tuesday knowing a win would secure home court, but neither team could get the job done. The Warriors fell 119-115 to the Denver Nuggets after giving up a 14-2 run, while the Sacramento Kings rode a 27-point performance from Domantas Sabonis to a 120-111 victory over the Rockets.
That opened the door for the Thunder, who seized the opportunity with a dominant 133-106 win over the Utah Jazz. Thanks to their superior point differential, Oklahoma City claimed the top seed in the Western Conference.
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander admitted he wasn’t keeping track of the standings during the game. “I wasn’t at all until I knew we were going to win tonight,” he said. “I just asked around, but it’s all too confusing. I just win, and then we see where we end up.”
What’s Next?
With the quarterfinals set, all eyes now turn to next week’s matchups. Will the Bucks continue their unbeaten run? Can the Knicks capitalize on home court? And will the Thunder’s late surge carry them all the way to Las Vegas? One thing’s for sure: the NBA Cup is delivering the kind of excitement fans hoped for when the league introduced the tournament last year.
- Tuesday: Magic at Bucks, Mavericks at Thunder
- Wednesday: Hawks at Knicks, Warriors at Rockets
Get ready, basketball fans. The road to Las Vegas is heating up!
Originally Written by: Tim Bontemps
