Three years in, it’s hard to fully gauge if the NBA Cup has gained legitimate traction.
Opportunity is abound in determining that, with legitimate playoff conference finals previews looking a possibility in this season’s tournament.
Group play action has yielded the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs out of the West. Over in the East, we have the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks. A showdown between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic in Las Vegas would certainly create the buzz this tournament has craved.
The Knicks and Magic were viewed as possible contenders this season and both are looking very strong at the moment. Paolo Banchero has just returned from injury while New York’s rotation has been recently boosted by OG Anunoby’s return.
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, though, let’s take a look at the quarterfinal matchups.
East Quarterfinals
Orlando Magic (1) vs. Miami Heat (4)
Tuesday, Dec. 9 @ 6:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. PST on Prime Video
The Magic earned hosting rights for this quarterfinal by going a perfect 4-0 with a plus-64 point differential in the group stage. Miami, on the other hand, earned its place by finishing as the best second-placed team with a 3-1 record and plus-49 point differential.
Orlando got off to a slow start as it grew accustomed to life with Desmond Bane before things started to click. The Heat used a new offense to storm out of the gates, despite the absence of Tyler Herro. Norman Powell has continued his flamethrower ways while Davion Mitchell has showcased a consistent combination of defense and playmaking that prior teams couldn’t quite unearth.
Kel’el Ware and Jaime Jaquez are coming into their own while Andrew Wiggins and Bam Adebayo are being quality impact players.
Orlando is currently sweating over the status of Franz Wagner, who took an awkward fall against the Knicks on Sunday and is unlikely to play Tuesday. That’ll certainly be a big loss but Anthony Black has thrived with expanded opportunities this season.
This Florida battle should be a defensive classic as Miami ranks fifth and Orlando is sixth in points allowed per 100 possessions. It may just come down to which team has the coaching edge and Erik Spoelstra will definitely be favored going in.
Toronto Raptors (2) vs. New York Knicks (3)
Tuesday, Dec. 9 @ 8:30 p.m. EST/5:30 p.m. PST on Prime Video
The Knicks are surging, the Raptors probably still wish they had Serge Ibaka with Jakob Poeltl’s back problems.
Toronto finished group play with a perfect 4-0 record and plus-55 point differential, so it will host this contest. That’s the biggest thing the Raptors have going for them as the Knicks are 13-1 at Madison Square Garden but just 3-6 on the road.
Beyond that, the Raptors have lost five of their last six games and rank 29th in offense since R.J. Barrett went down with a right knee sprain. There were wins for the taking during this stretch but poor execution and untimely defensive lulls spelt doom.
New York, meanwhile, is inching closer to the Detroit Pistons for top spot in the East. Beyond the usual suspects, Josh Hart has been a big reason why. After some doubts over his fit in head coach Mike Brown’s system early, Hart has showcased the all-around game that makes him so valuable.
Mikal Bridges is shooting 41.3 percent from three, which is the first time he’s eclipsed the 40 percent mark since the 2020-21 season. With the ball in Jalen Brunson’s hands less frequently, Bridges is also showing off a bit of his playmaking chops with a career-high 4.3 assists per game.
Karl-Anthony Towns missed Sunday’s game with calf tightness. It remains to be seen if that was just precautionary ahead of this knockout clash. With the way these two teams are currently trending, the Knicks should be favored, despite their underwhelming road record.
West Quarterfinals
Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. Phoenix Suns (4)
Wednesday, Dec. 10 @ 7:30 p.m. EST/4:30 p.m. PST on Prime Video
The Thunder are the top seed in everything until further notice. There is no team quite like them. Winners of 15 straight with an overall record of 23-1, there is a bit of unfinished business.
Oklahoma City lost the last year’s NBA Cup Final to the Milwaukee Bucks, courtesy an inspired night from Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez. If the Thunder have their mind on revenge, the Suns could just be an unfortunate, innocent victim along the path.
To the Suns’ credit, though, they’ve done well to establish a new identity post-Kevin Durant. Head coach Jordan Ott has instilled a defense-first, hard-nosed mentality and Dillon Brooks is gaining respect as a culture-builder.
Devin Booker’s availability is a huge factor here. He has missed the last couple contests with a strained right groin and his offensive firepower will certainly be needed against the Thunder’s robust defense. Collin Gillespie, who has been one of the league’s most pleasant surprises, has seen increased usage in Booker’s absence.
Phoenix will come into this contest as heavy underdogs and it will take some March Madness-esque magic to prevent another Thunder trip to Vegas.
Los Angeles Lakers (2) vs. San Antonio Spurs (3)
Wednesday, Dec. 10 @ 10:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. PST on Prime Video
Doncic has been spectacular this season and is firmly in the MVP conversation. Austin Reaves is moving full steam ahead toward his first All-Star selection. And don’t look now, folks, but LeBron James looked very much like himself in the Lakers’ last game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Lakers may just be the best team not named the Thunder, especially while Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun remain out for the Denver Nuggets.
San Antonio has been sneakily quite good in the absence of both Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle. The Spurs have won seven of their last 10, with De’Aaron Fox showcasing his ability to uplift a team in the face of injuries. Dylan Harper has returned to action but Devin Vassell has elevated his play while Keldon Johnson has made some notable contributions as well.
These two teams have squared off just once this season, the Lakers winning a thriller in comeback fashion. Wembanyama featured in that contest, so things will certainly have a different feel this time out if he’s still sidelined.
It will take a serious team effort to topple L.A.’s star power and prevent that dream matchup between Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic.
