Reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics eliminated from NBA Cup, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks advance
By Matias Grez, CNN
(CNN) — The New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks emphatically booked their places in the NBA Cup knockout stages on Tuesday after topping their respective groups unbeaten, while the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics were eliminated.
The Knicks beat the Orlando Magic 121-106 at Madison Square Garden behind a 23-point, 15-rebound performance from Karl-Anthony Towns and a triple-double from Josh Hart, who finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
Despite the defeat, the Magic also booked their place in the quarterfinals after securing the Eastern Conference wildcard, given to the second-placed team with the best record at the end of the group stage, ahead of the Celtics on point differential.
The Knicks’ 4-0 record secured home-court advantage in the quarterfinals, where they will face the Atlanta Hawks – who topped their group with a 3-1 record – on December 11.
Orlando, meanwhile, will travel to face the Milwaukee Bucks, who beat the Detroit Pistons 128-107 on Tuesday to also finish the group stage 4-0.
The Bucks were led by 28 points, seven rebounds and eight assists from Giannis Antetokounmpo, with Damian Lillard adding 27 points, four rebounds and five assists.
“They put a tournament in front of us, and we want to win it,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said, per ESPN. “We said that early on, and we’re 4-0. But we still have a lot of work to do.”
The Bucks continue to turn their season around impressively after a difficult start and have won nine of their last 10 games to climb to fifth in the Eastern Conference regular season standings.
Way out West
In the Western Conference quarterfinals, the Oklahoma City Thunder will welcome the Dallas Mavericks, while the Golden State Warriors travel to face the Houston Rockets.
Luka Doncic outduelled Ja Morant as the Mavericks beat the Memphis Grizzlies 121-116 on Tuesday. The Slovenian registered 37 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four steals to help the Mavs clinch the West wildcard spot.
OKC, meanwhile, eased past the Utah Jazz 133-106 behind 28 points from Jalen Williams and 26 points from Shai-Gilgeous Alexander.
There is guaranteed to be a new NBA Cup champion in the tournament’s second season after the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated in group play.
Organizers will have been rubbing their hands together ahead of the final round of group games, with five of the eight quarterfinal slots undecided going into Tuesday night.
The tournament was partly introduced to incentivize fans throughout November and December to take more of an interest in the NBA’s marathon 82-game season throughout November and December, attempting to draw in the more casual viewers who perhaps won’t tune in until after Christmas, or even the playoffs.
Winners of the quarterfinals will travel to Las Vegas to play the semifinals on December 14, with the final taking place on December 17 in Sin City. All knockout games are single-elimination.
Not everyone is a fan, though, with Thunder star Gilgeous-Alexander calling the tournament “all too confusing.”
“I just win and then we see where we end up,” he said.
NBA Cup quarterfinals schedule
Away @ home
Tuesday, December 10 – Orlando Magic @ Milwaukee Bucks, 7 p.m. ET
Tuesday, December 10 – Dallas Mavericks @ Oklahoma City Thunder, 9:30 p.m. ET
Wednesday, December 11 – Atlanta Hawks @ New York Knicks, 7 p.m. ET
Wednesday, December 11 – Golden State Warriors @ Houston Rockets, 9:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday’s scores
Away @ home (winners in bold)
Milwaukee Bucks 128-107 Detroit Pistons
Washington Wizards 87-118 Cleveland Cavaliers
Philadelphia 76ers 110-104 Charlotte Hornets
Indiana Pacers 111-122 Toronto Raptors
Orlando Magic 106-121 New York Knicks
Utah Jazz 106-133 Oklahoma City Thunder
Memphis Grizzlies 116-121 Dallas Mavericks
San Antonio Spurs 93-104 Phoenix Suns
Houston Rockets 111-120 Sacramento Kings
Golden State Warriors 115-119 Denver Nuggets
Portland Trail Blazers 105-127 Los Angeles Clippers
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