The Milwaukee Bucks have put that 2-8 start in the rearview mirror.
With Tuesday’s 128-107 victory against the Detroit Pistons, the Bucks secured a spot in the NBA Cup quarterfinals with a 4-0 record in Eastern Conference Group B play. They moved to 11-9 overall.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard have found offensive compatibility, the defense has improved and the Bucks have now won nine of their past 10 games, including seven consecutive.
The New York Knicks also advanced to the quarterfinals with a 4-0 record in East Group A play after beating the Orlando Magic 121-106 Tuesday.
Though they fell to 3-1 in group play, the Magic also reached the quarterfinals as the East wild card, beating Boston (also 3-1 in group play) in the point differential tiebreaker. All the Magic had to do was not lose by 37 or more.
It got close.
The Knicks led by 37 with 2:54 left in the third quarter, and the Celtics were rooting for their division rival. The Magic, however, did just enough in the fourth quarter.
The Atlanta Hawks qualified for the quarterfinals last week as the winner of East Group C with a 3-1 record, edging Boston on the head-to-head tiebreaker in group play.
In the West, Houston clinched Group A and Golden State won Group C last week, grabbing quarterfinal berths. In Group B, Oklahoma City defeated Utah, 133-106, advancing with a 3-1 record and head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over 3-1 Phoenix.
Dallas snagged the wild card with a 121-116 victory against Memphis – it was enough for the Mavericks to win the point differential tiebreaker over the Suns.
East Group A
Group winner: New York Knicks; Orlando Magic also advance as wild card
The Knicks, who ended Orlando’s six-game winning streak, have been a tad uneven this season as they work newcomers Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges into the lineup. But they found success in Cup play, and All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson led the way with his scoring and passing.
Even without injured All-Star Paolo Banchero, the Magic have continued to win games, and Franz Wagner is a significant part of that. He averaged 30.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.3 steals in Orlando’s three Cup victories.
East Group B
Group winner: Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks are one of the hottest teams in the league and moving up the Eastern Conference standings. Antetokounmpo and Lillard each averaged almost 30 points in the three Cup games in which they played, and against Detroit, they combined for 55 points – 28 for Antetokounmpo and 27 for Lillard.
East Group C
Group winner: Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson collected 20.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.0 steals and shot 54.7% from the field in four Cup games.
West Group A
Group winner: Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets, who are in second place in the West, are one of the league’s talented young teams. Seven players average double figures in points including 22-year-old Jalen Green (18.9 points per game) and 22-year-old Alperen Sengun (18.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists per game).
West Group B
Group winner: Oklahoma City Thunder
Yes, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a star and MVP candidate for Oklahoma City. And Jalen Williams is shaping into an All-Star. He had a game-high 28 points on 12-for-18 shooting in the Thunder’s victory against Utah and also had had five assists and three steals.
The Suns needed Dallas to lose or they needed to beat San Antonio by 28 points to earn the wild card and neither happened.
West Group C
Group winner: Golden State Warriors; Dallas Mavericks also advance as wild card
Golden State clinched the group last week with a 3-0 record, and Warriors star Steph Curry averaged 23 points, 7.0 assists and 7.0 rebounds and shot 49% from the field and 46.2% on 3s in those three games.
The Mavericks trailed the Grizzlies 111-103 with 3:34 left in the fourth quarter and were in danger of being eliminated. But they outscored Memphis 18-5 to finish the game and advanced. Luka Doncic had a game-high 37 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas.
When are the NBA Cup knockout round games?
Here is the knockout round schedule:
Quarterfinals: Dec. 10 and Dec. 11 in home markets
- Orlando Magic at Milwaukee Bucks
- Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks
- Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder
- Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets
Semifinals: Dec. 14, 4:30 p.m. ET, TNT and 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC in Las Vegas
Final: Dec. 17, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC in Las Vegas
(This story was updated to add new information.)
