Starting 5, Dec. 4: Emirates NBA Cup Knockout Rounds set after ...
Group Play? Done. ✅
After the Bucks, Knicks, Magic, Thunder and Mavs punched the last 5 tickets to the Emirates NBA Cup Knockout Rounds, the Quarterfinals (Dec. 10-11) are on the clock.
THE LINEUP ????
Dec. 4, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?
Finale Fireworks: 13 teams entered in contention for 5 spots. Here’s how it shook out
3-Team Race: OKC moves on after a frantic, must-see finish in West Group B
Wild Card Chaos: Mavs’ dramatic rally sends them on, Nuggets’ comeback switches standings
Every Game Counts: The Cavs make more history, the Sixers’ stars shine and a Raptor roars
Must-Watch Wednesday: LeBron faces his former team, hot streaks on the line and more
BUT FIRST … ⏰
The Emirates NBA Cup Knockout Rounds bracket is set…
Only eight teams remain in contention for the Emirates NBA Cup following Tuesday’s Group Play finale, which saw Milwaukee, New York, Orlando, OKC and Dallas join Atlanta, Houston and Golden State in the Knockout Rounds.
What’s Next? It’s win or go home the rest of the way. The single-elimination Quarterfinals tip on Tuesday, Dec. 10, and Wednesday, Dec. 11.
The Cup Concludes In Vegas: The Semifinals take place in Las Vegas on Saturday, Dec. 14, along with the Championship on Dec. 17, where the winner will hoist the NBA Cup trophy.
More Hoops Tonight: Six games get underway Wednesday, including an NBA TV doubleheader as the Heat host the Lakers (7:30 ET), before Anthony Edwards and the Wolves face James Harden and the Clippers (10:30 ET).
Kia NBA Players Of The Month: The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were named the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for October and November. See all the league-wide October and November honors here.
1. EMIRATES NBA CUP FINALE FIREWORKS: UNBEATEN DUELS DECIDE THE EAST
Thirteen teams entered Tuesday’s Emirates NBA Cup Group Play finale in contention for the final five spots in the Knockout Rounds.
Eleven games, two winner-take-all duels and a slew of wild card scenarios later, and the stage is set for next week’s single-elimination Quarterfinals.
Above are the final Group Play standings, below is how it all went down.
Entering the night, the Hawks were the only team in the East that held a spot in the Knockout Rounds, having already secured East Group C.
East Group A and B were both decided on Tuesday by two matchups between 3-0 clubs — all 4 of them controlling their destiny.
Bucks 128, Pistons 107 (East Group B): With the stakes raised, Giannis Antetokounmpo (28 pts 8 ast) and Damian Lillard (27 pts) elevated their games, combining for 55 points while fueling a 17-4 run to end the 2nd quarter.
The burst gave the Bucks a 78-59 lead entering the half and they never looked back to top Cade Cunningham (23 pts) and the Pistons to claim East Group B, marking their seventh straight win and their ninth dub in their last 10 outings. | Recap
Deer From Deep: The Bucks sank 15 of their season-high 23 3s in the 1st half, led by Lillard, who finished with five triples Greek Freak Takes Over: Giannis went 10-of-11 from the field and dropped 17 points in the 3rd quarter to help slam the door shut Bucks In, Pistons Out: While Milwaukee (4-0) clinched the group and the top seed in the East (+50 point differential), Detroit’s +7 point differential wasn’t enough for it to earn a wild card spot, despite its 3-1 record Bucks Coach Doc Rivers: “They put a tournament in front of us, and we want to win it.”
Knicks 121, Magic 106 (East Group A): The Knicks’ top-rated offense was too much for the Magic’s league-leading defense, as Karl-Anthony Towns (23 pts, 15 reb) and Jalen Brunson (21 pts) led New York to a win, securing East Group A. | Recap
KAT Makes Knicks History: With the performance, Towns (25.1 ppg, 13.1 rpg) became the first Knick to average 25+ points and 12+ boards through the first 20 games of a season 1st-Half Fire: New York jumped out to a 71-51 lead at the half, stamped by a wild Mikal Bridges’ buzzer-beater, and led by as many as 37 in the 3rd quarter Magic Streak Snapped: Franz Wagner finished with 30 points while Moritz Wagner had 20 for Orlando, which saw its six-game win streak snapped Knicks Take Group, Magic Earn WC: While New York went 4-0 (+30 point differential) to win the group, Orlando (3-1) earned the East wild card spot thanks to its +45 point differential, edging out Detroit and Boston (+23)East Quarterfinals Set: With the two results, the East Knockout Rounds bracket and schedule were set:
2. THUNDER SNAG WEST GROUP B IN HECTIC 3-TEAM RACE
To decide the final group out West — West Group B — things were a bit more complicated, with the Thunder, Spurs and Suns all vying for the top spot with 2-1 Group Play records entering the night.
The clinching scenarios seemed endless for all three teams. But two games brought clarity to the chaos.
Thunder 133, Jazz 106 (West Group B): In the first Group B matchup of the night, Jalen Williams dropped a game-high 28 points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 26 points and seven dimes, and OKC’s defense forced 29 turnovers to earn a resounding win over Collin Sexton (17 pts) and the Jazz. | Recap
Suns 104, Spurs 93 (West Group B): Needing a W to clinch the group, Victor Wembanyama tallied 15 points, 13 boards and seven dimes for the Spurs, but Devin Booker (29 pts, 5 ast) and Phoenix were too much as the Suns never trailed to move to 3-1. | Recap
3. WILD CARD CHAOS & 4TH-QUARTER RALLIES SET THE WEST
With West Group B wrapped up, the eighth and final spot in the Knockout Rounds came down to the West wild card between the Suns, Mavericks and Blazers.
Mavericks 121, Grizzlies 116 (West Group C): Needing a win to keep their Cup hopes alive, the Mavs trailed by eight with 3:08 left, then reeled off an electrifying 18-5 run thanks to Luka Dončić (37 pts, 12 reb) and clutch 3s from Spencer Dinwiddie and P.J. Washington to stun Ja Morant (31 pts) and the Grizzlies. | Recap
Late-Game Takeover: Dallas trailed by as many as 15 points in the 4th quarter but outscored Memphis 39-21 in the final frame to earn the win, moving them to 3-1 in Group PlayClippers 127, Blazers 105 (West Group A): James Harden turned in 23 points to pass Paul Pierce (26,397) for No. 17 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, while Norman Powell notched a game-high 30 points to top Deandre Ayton (16 pts) and the Blazers, eliminating them from wild card contention. | Recap
Two more games out West had Knockout Round implications, with Houston and Golden State — the winners of Group A and C, respectively — looking to improve to 4-0 to secure home-court advantage in the Quarterfinals.
Nuggets 119, Warriors 115 (West Group C): Despite Denver being eliminated earlier in the night, Nikola Jokić turned in another ace, with a Tuesday-best 38 points, 10 rebounds, six dimes and five steals.To punctuate his masterpiece, the Joker led the Nuggets on a 21-6 run in the final six minutes to edge out Steph Curry (24 pts, 11 ast) and the Warriors, handing them their first Group Play loss. | Recap
The Joker, The Beard & Bird: It’s Jokić’s third career game of 35+ points, 10+ boards, 5+ assists and 5+ steals, joining James Harden and Larry Bird as only players to record three such games since steals were first tracked in 1973-74 West Standings Shake-Up: It’s the Warriors’ fifth straight loss, dropping them from third to seventh in the West regular-season standings
Kings 120, Rockets 111 (West Group A): Houston was also unable to finish Group Play at 4-0, as Domantas Sabonis (27 pts) and De’Aaron Fox (22 pts) ignited a 42-point 3rd quarter for Sacramento, powering them past Jalen Green (28 pts) and the Rockets for their only Group Play dub. | Recap
West Quarterfinals Set: While Houston and Golden State entered the night holding the first and second seeds, OKC — which began Tuesday behind San Antonio in West Group B — leapfrogged them for the top spot with a +45 point differential.
(WC) Mavericks at (1) Thunder | Tuesday, Dec. 10, 9:30 ET (TNT) (3) Warriors at (2) Rockets | Wednesday, Dec. 11, 9:30 ET (TNT)4. CUP NIGHT ROUNDUP: CAVS ROLL, SIXERS’ STARS SHINE & A RAPTOR ROARS
In three games that did not have Knockout Round implications, the Cavs added another notch to their historic start, while the Sixers and Raptors picked up timely dubs.
Cavaliers 118, Wizards 87 (East Group C): Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley led seven scorers in double figures with 19 points apiece as the Cavs earned a wire-to-wire win to improve to 19-3 and 12-1 at home, tied for their best 22-game start in franchise history (2008-09). | Recap
76ers 110, Hornets 104 (East Group A): Paul George (29 pts, 8 ast) and Tyrese Maxey (21 pts, 7 ast) combined for 50 points and 15 dimes, while the Kia East Rookie of the Month Jared McCain added 17 points to help Philly stave off Brandon Miller (34 pts, 7 3s) and the Hornets. | Recap
Raptors 122, Pacers 111 (East Group B): Tyrese Haliburton tallied 30 points and six dimes to get the Pacers within three points after trailing by as many as 24. But Scottie Barnes’ career-high 35 points were too much, as the Raptors closed the game on a 17-8 run to earn their first Group Play victory. | Recap
5. MUST-WATCH WEDNESDAY: LAKERS VS. HEAT & HOT STREAKS
Six games tip off tonight, including a star-studded doubleheader on NBA TV as LeBron James faces his former team before Ant and The Beard go toe-to-toe. Meanwhile, a handful of surging squads take the floor on League Pass.
Lakers at Heat (7:30 ET, NBA TV): After each being held to a season-low in points in a loss to the Wolves on Monday, LeBron James (10 pts) and Anthony Davis (12) will look to bounce back against Tyler Herro and the Heat.
Magic at 76ers (7:30 ET, LP): The Magic’s six-game win streak is over, but they’re still 12-2 in their last 14 games and haven’t suffered back-to-back losses since Nov. 6.
Tonight, they’ll look to keep that streak going against the Sixers, who notched their second win in a row on Tuesday thanks to another big outing from rookie sensation Jared McCain.
Pistons at Celtics (7:30 ET, LP): The Pistons fell short against the red-hot Bucks on Tuesday, but they’ll have another shot to slow down a surging East power tonight as they face the defending champs. At 17-4, the Celtics are 1.5 games back of Cleveland (19-3) for the best record in the NBA.
Pacers at Nets (7:30 ET, LP): Looking to snap a seven-game road skid, Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers will take on the Nets in the second leg of a back-to-back. Haliburton is averaging 23.8 points and 8.2 assists in his last five games, including a pair of 30-pieces.
Hawks at Bucks (8 ET, LP): Coming off their seventh straight win, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will face another streaking squad when they host Trae Young and the Hawks, who have won four straight games.
Double-Double Trouble: While Giannis leads the NBA in games of 20+ points and 10+ rebounds with 15, Young leads the NBA in 20+ point and 10+ assist games with 10Wolves at Clippers (10:30 ET, NBA TV): On Friday, the Wolves beat the Clippers in Minnesota to end a four-game slide. Then, they took down the Lakers on Monday for their second straight home win. Tonight, they’ll face the Clips again, this time at the Intuit Dome, as they look to notch a third straight dub against an LA-based opponent.
