2024 NBA Cup: Live updates, highlights, more

The NBA Cup quarterfinals take center stage Tuesday and Wednesday to see which four teams will move on to the semifinals on Saturday in Las Vegas and ultimately the championship on Dec. 17 at T-Mobile Arena.

To recap, all 30 teams were placed into five groups and played four designated group games during the first part of the regular season. Eight teams -- four from each conference -- emerged from the group stage to set up the quarterfinal bracket of the NBA's second edition of the in-season tournament.

The Milwaukee Bucks (East Group B winners) clinched their spot for the East semifinals by defeating the Orlando Magic (East wild card), 114-109, on Tuesday. They now await Wednesday's winner between the Atlanta Hawks (East Group C winners) and the New York Knicks (East Group A winners).

In the West, the Dallas Mavericks (West wild card) face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder (West Group B Winners) on Tuesday. The Golden State Warriors (West Group C winners) will take on the Houston Rockets (West Group A winners) on Wednesday.

EASTERN CONFERENCE quarterfinals:

(1) Milwaukee Bucks 114, (4) Orlando Magic 109

(3) Atlanta Hawks at (2) New York Knicks -- Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

WESTERN CONFERENCE quarterfinals:

(4) Dallas Mavericks at (1) Oklahoma City Thunder -- Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT)

(3) Golden State Warriors at (2) Houston Rockets -- Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Follow along for the top moments, highlights and key takeaways from the quarterfinal games.

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Schedule | FAQ

2024 Emirates NBA Cup schedule

All times ET

Quarterfinals, Tuesday

Bucks 114, Magic 109
Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 9:30 p.m. (TNT)

Quarterfinals, Wednesday

Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets, 9:30 p.m. (TNT)

Saturday

TBD vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 4:30 p.m. (TNT)
Semifinals 2, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)

Dec. 17

Championship, 8:30 p.m. (ABC)

Previous group stage results

Nov. 12

Nov. 15

Nov. 19

Nov. 22

Nov. 26

Nov. 29

Dec. 3

FAQ (by Tim Bontemps)

The NBA unveiled the six groups for the second edition of its in-season tournament -- now called the Emirates NBA Cup. Here's a look at everything you'll need to know about the return of the competition.

What is the format?

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has had a long-standing fascination with European soccer. The idea for having an in-season cup competition within the NBA schedule comes from soccer leagues having both a regular-season title, won by the team with the most points over the full year, and a separate tournament (or, in some leagues, multiple tournaments) that runs concurrently with the league season.

In England, for example, there are the various divisions -- led by the Premier League -- and also the FA Cup competition. But unlike those European leagues, which play their cup competitions outside of their league schedules, the NBA Cup is built into the regular-season slate.

The 30 NBA teams were split into six five-team groups -- three featuring Eastern Conference teams, and three comprising teams from the West -- with each team then playing one game against the other four in their group. The winner of each group, plus the team with the best record among the nongroup winners, will then advance to the knockout rounds.

How will this impact the regular-season schedule and standings?

Typically, the NBA sends out a full 82-game schedule in mid-August. Now, though, the league sends out only 80 games and leaves a gap for roughly a week to fill in later, depending on how the group stage of the NBA Cup plays out.

The teams that reach the NBA Cup's finale will actually play 83 games -- though the championship game won't count toward the standings or any statistical markers. Those that lose in the semifinals will have played their full 82-game schedule and won't need anything added.

The two teams from both the East and West that lose in the quarterfinals will play their 82nd game against one another on one of four dates: Dec. 12, 13, 15 or 16. Meanwhile, the 22 teams that fail to qualify for the knockout rounds will have their final two games scheduled -- one at home and one on the road -- on Dec. 12 or 13 and 15 or 16 against others eliminated in the group stage.

Why does the NBA Cup include regular-season games?

Before its launch, one of the main questions surrounding the in-season tournament was why any team would be incentivized to compete in it. By making every game part of the season -- and, being in-conference, potentially important from a playoff-tiebreaker standpoint -- the NBA ensured teams will be motivated.

If this had been set up like the cup tournaments in European soccer, there would have been nothing stopping NBA teams from opting out, literally or figuratively -- sitting their top players for extra rest.

What teams make up the groups?

To create the groups, the NBA put all 15 teams in each conference into five pots, separated by their finish in last season's standings. Pot 1 included the teams that finished 1-3 in regular-season record, teams 4-6 went into Pot 2, teams 7-9 into Pot 3, teams 10-12 into Pot 4 and teams 13-15 into Pot 5.

As a result, the following groups were drawn:

West A: Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers
West B: Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs
West C: Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies

Does one group stand out the most from the others?

Yes, there is an obvious one: West Group C, featuring the Nuggets, Mavericks, Pelicans, Warriors and Grizzlies.

Because of how the draw is performed, Golden State and Memphis, which dealt with a combination of suspensions and injuries, are significantly stronger than you would anticipate teams in the bottom two pots to be.

But in addition to featuring the reigning MVP in Nikola Jokic and Zion Williamson, the group also could offer the first meeting between Klay Thompson and his former team after the guard signed with Dallas following 13 seasons with Golden State.

What do players get for winning?

Last year, the players on the winning team received $500,000 each, while those on the runners-up got $200,000. The losing players of the semifinals each got $100,000, and those ousted in the quarterfinals each got $50,000.

This year, the prizes will be slightly higher because of negotiated raises year over year to keep pace with increases in the salary cap and basketball related income as part of the most recent collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association.

Will anyone earn individual honors for their play in NBA Cup games?

There will be an MVP award, as well as an all-tournament team.

Will this have any impact on the playoffs?

Not beyond the games counting in the regular-season standings (and toward tiebreakers). Though there was debate among league insiders about guaranteeing a playoff berth for winning the tournament, ultimately that idea (or any other to further incentivize teams) was not enacted.

The debate continued after last year's in-season tournament winner, the Lakers, wound up in the play-in tournament, while the runner-up, the Pacers, narrowly avoided landing in it. But, in the end, the only playoff impact comes from the wins and losses accrued throughout the tournament.

Why is it called the Emirates NBA Cup?

The league struck a sponsorship deal with Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, to sponsor the tournament after its initial run. The NBA said last year that it went with the most basic titles for both the tournament and its trophy -- the "in-season tournament" and "NBA Cup" -- as a way to introduce the concept to fans.

However, using such nondescript names had another clear advantage: It gave the league a blank slate in case the tournament and cup became properties it ended up selling to a sponsor, and avoided the complications that could arise by naming them after someone (for example, the late NBA commissioner David Stern, one possibility that had been floated before the tournament was officially unveiled).