Subscribe
Follow Us
Competitiveness and talent are the best words to describe the NBA Cup. Aside from teams giving it their all for a chance to advance to Las Vegas and win the grand cash prize, along with the NBA Cup itself, we have seen these playoff-like games bring out the best in the league's greatest stars. If you need any proof of that, look at teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, and others advancing to the quarterfinals with many stars set to battle it out.
Stephen Curry will look to lead the Warriors against a young Houston Rockets team that is looking to be this season's Indiana Pacers by making it to the championship game. The other two teams feature Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, and Jalen Williams with the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the Dallas Mavericks.
The Eastern Conference side of the bracket features plenty of firepower and intriguing storylines as well. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are looking to lead the Bucks past an emerging Orlando Magic team that has been one of the hottest in the league despite Paolo Banchero being sidelined with a torn oblique.
And if you were looking for a rivalry game in the East knockout round, you got it with the New York Knicks set to host Trae Young in Madison Square Garden, an arena home to thousands of fans who absolutely adore the Atlanta Hawks guard. If there is one thing we can count on from the New York faithful, it's that plenty of Trae Young chants will break out during this game, most famously beginning with a choice “F” word.
The eight teams that will fight to earn a trip to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup Semifinals all have amazing storylines associated with them through a quarter of the season. To this point, almost every NBA Cup game has been unpredictable. Not much will change with these four quarterfinal games.
There is plenty to discuss regarding each of these teams that advanced from the group stage, yet the Bucks and Warriors tend to stick out the most for similar but opposite reasons. Whereas Milwaukee got off to a dreadful start and has since won nine of their last 11 games to move above .500, Golden State recently snapped a five-game losing streak that saw them go from the top of the Western Conference to the play-in region of the standings.
Giannis and Steph are two of the greatest players of this generation, and they will both be the faces of this tournament, especially should they take their respective teams to Paradise during the holiday season. Christmas is about to come early for four teams with the NBA Cup about to deliver four tickets to Las Vegas.
Who will win the 2024 NBA Cup?
Want more of this content? Sign up for ClutchPoints' daily NBA newsletter now!
Buy or sell Bucks' recent surge
When the Bucks were 2-8 through their first 10 games of the season, it seemed like the sky was falling in Milwaukee. There were over-analyzed reports about Antetokounmpo possibly seeking a trade and rival organizations lining up to prepare their best bid for one of the league's premier talents.
While the mainstream media said the Bucks' season was over and that the pairing of Lillard and Antetokounmpo wouldn't work, Milwaukee stayed the course and took their early-season struggles on the chin. Aside from their lack of defensive effort, the Bucks simply weren't playing with enough aggressiveness on offense.
Head coach Doc Rivers and the leaders of this team focused their attention on these issues, and all of a sudden, the Bucks are 11-10 after a recent seven-game win streak. A win on Friday night on the road against the Boston Celtics would surely send a statement to the rest of the NBA that the Bucks we have known through the years are back. Oh, and they will be getting a guy named Khris Middleton back for this game after the All-Star forward underwent surgery on both ankles in the offseason.
The Bucks are by no means a finished product. Turnovers and three-point shooting woes once again appeared in their recent 119-104 loss at home to the Hawks, a game that snapped their seven-game win streak. But it is truly amazing what building confidence can do for any team in the NBA, especially for role players stepping up in big moments.
Antetokounmpo and Lillard will put up their numbers every night, while maybe having a hiccup or two here and there. Still, it's the secondary players who take advantage of the foundation built by Milwaukee's superstars. There is reason to buy into what the Bucks are trying to sell right now, and their offense has been the driving force for this.
Perhaps Middleton's arrival and Brook Lopez's continued confidence will allow the Bucks being able to get past a pesty, strong-minded Magic team that wears their opponents down on defense. A trip to the semifinals and Vegas would surely put the team's horrid start to the season in the rearview mirror.
Warriors enter NBA Cup in danger
It is never a good sign to see a team lose five straight games, no matter the circumstances. For the Warriors, this week-and-a-half losing skid has resulted in a drop in and the reemergence of last year's struggles.
Early in the season, the Dubs were killing teams with their defensive intensity and ability to push the pace in transition with minimal turnovers. Although undersized, Golden State is once again among the league's best when it comes to crashing the glass.
However, over the course of their losing streak, the Warriors' transition play was sloppy and their opponents were capitalizing off the Dubs' mistakes. At the same time, much of Golden State's struggles was their own doing late in games. Between their second-half collapses out of halftime and being outscored by 36 points in the fourth quarter of these five games, the Warriors lost games that they easily could've won.
They held fourth-quarter leads in four of these five losses, which is why just one or two of these battles being a win instead of a loss could've completely changed the narrative surrounding this team. It also doesn't help that Stephen Curry has been dealing with knee soreness and Draymond Green a calf injury.
While it appears as if Golden State is in danger entering the NBA Cup, they were able to steady things without Curry and Green on the floor in a massive 99-93 home win over the Rockets thanks to Jonathan Kuminga's career-high 33-point night. The Warriors have now defeated the Rockets two different times by six points this season, which gives them an early advantage heading into this NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup. And did I mention Golden State has defeated Houston 15 straight times overall?
All the Warriors need to be successful is strong rebounding, tough defense, and taking care of the basketball. The Dubs achieved all three of these in their win on Thursday over Houston, giving them the confidence they need ahead of the NBA Cup knockout round.
Want more of this content? Sign up for ClutchPoints' daily NBA newsletter now!
Who will emerge in East NBA Cup?
The very first NBA Cup quarterfinal game will be between the Magic and Bucks, an interesting matchup featuring two of the hottest teams as of late. This is a matchup that we have yet to see this season, which adds more intrigue as to who will emerge and advance to Vegas. What this game ultimately comes down to is Orlando's ability to keep Milwaukee out of the paint both in scoring and rebounding. Giannis will be able to score whenever he wants against any team, but if the Magic can stop Lillard and the Bucks' backcourt from driving toward the rim, they will be in the driver's seat.
From the Magic's perspective, this game will be about pace and opportunity. By controlling how fast the game is going with Franz Wagner as the team's point forward and leaning on their length defensively, the Magic should be able to create a lot of turnovers early on. Whether or not the Magic can pull off the road win will come down to their ability to defend without fouling. The Magic rank 17th in personal fouls per game, as the Bucks are third in free-throw attempts.
Ultimately, the Magic can win this game and should have the upper hand. But don't count out Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is leading the league in scoring.
A matchup between the Hawks and Knicks seems more lopsided than this Magic-Bucks game. New York has been playing their best basketball of the season, averaging 121.6 points per game over their last 11 games. The Knicks have gone 9-2 in this span. On the opposite side, Atlanta currently finds themselves on a five-game win streak ahead of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. Jalen Johnson and De'Andre Hunter stepped up and unlocked Young's ability to control what appears to be an emerging Hawks offense.
If we know one thing, it's that the Knicks will be looking to avenge an early-season loss to the Hawks, and Madison Square Garden will be as rowdy as a playoff game. It would come as a shock to many if the Knicks didn't advance to Las Vegas. Looking at the Eastern Conference as a whole, the Knicks have a clear advantage at the moment. Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson have quietly been one of the best duos in the league, and it appears as if Tom Thibodeau's team is beginning to put things together defensively. Do not be shocked if New York finds themselves in the championship game.
Who will emerge in West NBA Cup?
Compared to the Eastern Conference games, which will be controlled by pace and executioning plays, the Western Conference matches in the NBA Cup are going to be full-on battles to the death for all 48 minutes. The first quarterfinals game in the West will be on Tuesday night, with the Thunder hosting the Mavericks. This is a matchup between the defending Western Conference champions and the team many chose before the season to make the NBA Finals.
Dallas is getting hot at the right time, as they have won 10 of their last 11, including a two-point road win over the Thunder. The Mavs have gone from 5-7 to 15-8 ahead of a weekend matchup with the Toronto Raptors, and they have done so without Luka Doncic being 100 percent healthy. PJ Washington has been one of the best secondary players in the league as of late, and Spencer Dinwiddie has stepped up behind Doncic in the rotation.
When the Mavs defeated the Thunder 121-119 roughly two weeks ago, they did so without Doncic. They also scored 52 points in the paint and outrebounded Oklahoma City 53-29. That is the key to this matchup, as Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford will look to punish Isaiah Hartenstein, the Thunder's lone big man, early on. As good as the Thunder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are, the Mavs have more firepower right now and should be able to control the paint in this game. Dallas looks like the best team ahead of the NBA Cup Quarterfinals.
There is no better NBA Cup quarterfinal game than the one we will see between the Warriors and Rockets, two rivals who do hate one another. To make things better, the Dubs recently picked up their second win over the Rockets this season, defeating them 99-93 on Thursday night without Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Golden State is 2-0 against Houston this season, and have won 15 straight games against their foes.
With this game in Houston, the Rockets must use their crowd to their advantage and speed the Warriors up. Golden State can be turnover-prone, and if either Curry or Green is banged up, this could force Steve Kerr's hand early on. The main problem against the Warriors is that Jalen Green scored seven points in their first matchup, followed by 14 points on Thursday night. He is the key to the Rockets' success and finally beating this team for the first time since 2020.
However, the Warriors seemed to regain their confidence in this win over the Rockets, and Jonathan Kuminga has dominated Houston in two games this season. Curry always finds a way to win big games, and we shouldn't expect anything different in this one. If they can get past the Rockets and get to Las Vegas, the spotlight will be on the Warriors to win it all.
Want more of this content? Sign up for ClutchPoints' daily NBA newsletter now!
