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The NBA Cup quarterfinals are set. Four teams that were victorious Friday night claimed group stage wins and advanced to the knockout rounds. One losing team from Friday and one idle team earned the two wild-card spots. (Our Sam Quinn has winners and losers of the group play stage.)
In the East, the first team to punch its ticket into the knockout round on Friday was the Orlando Magic. The Magic (4-0) defeated the Detroit Pistons behind 37 points from Desmond Bane to take Group B. The New York Knicks (3-1) also advanced to the knockout stage with a 118-109 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Jalen Brunson (37 points, five assists) led the Knicks, who won Group C because they previously beat the Heat, but Miami will advance as the wild card team from the Eastern Conference based on being the only other 3-1 team.
In the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder (4-0) came out of Group A on the strength of a 123-119 win over the Phoenix Suns (3-1). Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs (3-1) got a 139-136 road win over the Denver Nuggets to take Group C. The conference’s wild-card spot was claimed by Phoenix because of its +31 point differential.
Entering Friday, six of the eight spots in the league’s third annual in-season tournament were up for grabs. The Los Angeles Lakers (4-0) and Toronto Raptors (4-0) previously clinched a spot in the quarterfinals.
The quarterfinals will be Tuesday, Dec. 9, and Wednesday, Dec. 10. East top seed Orlando will host Miami and New York will visit Toronto on Dec. 9. The following day, West top seed Oklahoma City will host Phoenix, followed by San Antonio playing in Los Angeles. The winners will advance to the semifinals on Saturday, Dec. 13, in Las Vegas, which is where the championship will also take place three days later.
The 19-1 Thunder are currently the favorites to win the 2025 NBA Cup (-125 at FanDuel). The Bucks won the…
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