NBA Cup Knockout Round Set: Thunder, Mavericks, Bucks Among Teams Punching Tickets

Well, folks, the 2024 NBA Cup is cooking, and we’ve got the Knockout Round brackets set. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks round out the Western Conference’s top four, joining the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets.

Meanwhile, in the East, the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, and Orlando Magic are ready to duke it out for the title.

Here’s how it all went down:

Western Conference

The Rockets? Dominant in Group A. They’ve been turning heads all season with a blend of Jalen Green fireworks and Fred VanVleet’s steady hand.

Meanwhile, the Warriors owned Group C because, well, they’re the Warriors. Stephen Curry continues to remind the league why he’s a basketball cheat code.

Oklahoma City sealed Group B in dramatic fashion. A win over the Jazz? Check. Help from the Phoenix Suns, who took care of business against the Spurs? Double-check. The Thunder, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doing Shai things, are officially here to stay.

And let’s not sleep on the Mavericks. They squeaked in as the Wild Card, thanks to—you guessed it—point differential. Their comeback win over the Grizzlies? Absolutely clutch. Luka Doncic is still the show in Dallas, but Kyrie Irving has been quietly stringing together some strong performances, and the Mavs are dangerous when they’re clicking.

Eastern Conference

The Milwaukee Bucks just keep rolling. They dismantled the Pistons to claim Group B, and it wasn’t even close. Giannis Antetokounmpo looks like he’s in MVP form again, and Damian Lillard has given Milwaukee the closer they’ve longed for. Oh, and they’ve been here before—advancing to the Knockout Rounds for the second straight year.

The Knicks were all business in Group A, blowing out the Magic in their decisive game. Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson were in sync, and don’t forget about their stingy defense, which is rounding into playoff form already.

As for the Magic, they’re no slouches either. They snagged the Wild Card on — you guessed it — point differential. Franz Wagner continues to be one of the most underrated players in the league and the Magic defense, on most nights, is something to behold.

And let’s not forget the Hawks. Group C winners. Trae Young and company are looking like a team that could go deep into an NBA tournament like this, having won four straight.

Quarterfinal Matchups

Here’s what we’ve got coming up in the East:

• Orlando Magic at Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis and Dame vs. a scrappy Magic squad. Can Orlando hang with the league’s best?
• Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks: A rematch of their classic 2021 playoff series. Knicks fans are already circling this one in red ink.

In the West, the matchups aren’t finalized just yet, but one thing’s clear: the NBA Cup is delivering drama, upsets, and plenty of reason to tune in. And isn’t that the point? Let’s see who rises to the top.