The NBA Cup knockout round is set. Four teams that were victorious Friday night claimed group stage wins and advanced to the quarterfinals. One losing team from Friday and one idle team earned the two wild-card spots.
In the East, the first team to punch its ticket into the knockout round was the Orlando Magic. The Magic (4-0) defeated the Detroit Pistons (2-2), 112-109, behind 37 points from Desmond Bane in taking Group B. The New York Knicks (3-1) also advanced to the knockout stage with a 118-109 win over the Milwaukee Bucks (2-2). Jalen Brunson (37 points, 5 assists) led the Knicks who won Group C because they previously beat the Heat head-to-head, 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 (2-2) to take Group C. The conference’s wild-card spot was claimed by Phoenix because of its +31 point differential topped the Memphis Grizzlies‘ (3-1) +14.
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 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 competition last year, and the Lakers won the initial version in 2023.
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NBA Cup standings
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2025 NBA Cup knockout stage schedule
- Quarterfinals: Tuesday, Dec. 9 — Heat at Magic, 6 p.m.; Knicks at Raptors, 8:30 p.m.
- Quarterfinals: Wednesday, Dec. 10 — Suns at Thunder 7:30 p.m.; Spurs at Lakers, 10 p.m.
- Semifinals: Saturday, Dec. 13, at Las Vegas
- Final: Tuesday, Dec. 16, at Las Vegas
(all times Eastern)