The NBA Cup quarter-final subject was set on Friday evening, with Miami travelling to Orlando and New York going to Toronto on the Japanese Convention facet, and an Oklahoma Metropolis v Phoenix rematch and San Antonio going through the Los Angeles Lakers within the West.
And the defending Cup champions won’t have an opportunity to go back-to-back in Las Vegas.
New York claimed the ultimate Japanese Convention berth by beating the reigning Cup holders, the Milwaukee Bucks, 118-109 to win East Group C. Milwaukee’s loss eradicated them from competition.
“I instructed the fellows they did a heck of a job discovering a method,” Knicks coach Mike Brown stated.
Toronto gained East Group A and Orlando topped Group B, each with 4-0 information. The Knicks went 3-1 in Group C and completed first on the head-to-head tiebreaker over Miami, who additionally went 3-1 to take the East wildcard.
Oklahoma Metropolis – the defending NBA champions, now 19-1 on the season – held off Phoenix to win West Group A and safe a quarter-final place, whereas San Antonio edged Denver in a frantic end to clinch West Group C and one other spot.
“I don’t know a lot about it apart from the fellows are actually enthusiastic about it,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson stated. “I do know we’re in as a result of we gained. I do know we beat some actually good groups to do it … so we really feel actually good about it.”
Phoenix went 3-1 in group play to earn the West wildcard. Their reward is a rematch with the Thunder within the quarter-finals.
“They’re feisty as hell. They play arduous,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault stated of the Suns.
The quarter-finals might be performed on 9 or 10 December. Orlando, the East’s prime seed, secured dwelling courtroom after beating Detroit 112-109 on Friday – organising a wildcard Warmth go to.
“We’re so completely happy to be dwelling,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley stated. “We have now among the finest followers within the NBA. They’re going to be again there, supporting us, able to go. … For us to do that could be very particular for our guys proper now.”
The Warmth v Magic, Knicks v Raptors and Thunder v Suns ties create a scheduling quirk: the video games rely as regular-season fixtures, that means every of these matchups will happen 5 occasions this season – the primary time that has occurred within the Sunshine State rivalry since 1993-94.
Miami go to Orlando for a regular-season sport on 5 December – their second journey there this season – earlier than returning days later for the Cup quarter-final.
“It’s nice,” Orlando’s Desmond Bane stated on studying the Magic would host a Cup quarter-final. “We’re constructing. We’re constructing one thing particular.”
The Lakers, winners of the inaugural Cup in 2023, have been the one Western Convention staff assured of a quarter-final place coming into Friday’s play.
The 22 groups that missed the quarter-finals can have two regular-season video games added to their schedules within the coming days to carry their whole to 82. All groups started the season with solely 80 fixtures to accommodate the NBA Cup format.
These extra video games – one dwelling, one away – might be scheduled for 11, 12, 14 or 15 December.
For groups that progress, the quarter-finals function sport No 81. The 4 quarter-final losers will play one another inside their convention to finish their schedules.
The semi-finals happen in Las Vegas on 13 December, and people video games additionally rely within the regular-season standings. The championship sport – which doesn’t – is in Las Vegas on 16 December.
Gamers on the quarter-final groups will every get $53,903. The payout will increase to $106,187 for berths within the semifinals, $212,373 for a spot within the last – and $530,933 for every participant on the successful staff.
Two-way gamers will obtain half these quantities, if relevant.