The 2024 Emirates NBA Cup has officially reached the Knockout Round of the annual in-season tournament. Three group winners and a wild card representative from each conference remain, though only one can be left standing at the end. With a title and over $500,000 per player at stake, it should create an exciting and competitive atmosphere.
Beginning on Dec. 10, the eight squads still alive will duke it out in a win-or-go-home setting. The Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder earned the top seed in the East and West, respectively, meaning they will have home-court advantage moving forward. But who will they face first, and what does their prospective path to the championship look like?
Here's an up-to-date look at the NBA Cup bracket as we enter the single-game elimination stage.
Time to fill out your bracket!
The Knockout Rounds of the #EmiratesNBACup begin Tuesday, Dec. 10. pic.twitter.com/RTsa5gG2TN
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 4, 2024
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Matchup Date and Time TV Channel
Magic vs. Bucks (Quarterfinal) Tuesday, Dec. 10 (7 p.m. ET) TNT
Mavericks vs. Thunder (Quarterfinal) Tuesday, Dec. 10 (9:30 p.m. ET) TNT
Hawks vs. Knicks (Quarterfinal) Wednesday, Dec. 11 (7 p.m. ET) TNT
Warriors vs. Rockets (Quarterfinal) Wednesday, Dec. 11 (9:30 p.m. ET) TNT
TBD vs. TBD (Semifinal) Saturday, Dec. 14 (4:30 p.m. ET) TNT
TBD vs. TBD (Semifinal) Saturday, Dec. 14 (8:30 p.m. ET) ABC
TBD vs. TBD (Championship) Tuesday, Dec. 17 (8:30 p.m. ET) ABC
Milwaukee will host an Orlando Magic squad that survived pool play without All-Star forward Paolo Banchero and suddenly without budding standout wing Franz Wagner. The Bucks should hold the edge versus a group missing their two franchise cornerstones, especially with the contest taking place at Fiserv Forum.
Whoever prevails from the Bucks-Magic showdown will go against the New York Knicks-Atlanta Hawks quarterfinal clash winner. Dating back to their playoff encounter in 2021, there's no love lost between the latter two teams, only adding to the intrigue and suspense.
Meanwhile, the Thunder's path to a crown out of the West side of the NBA Cup bracket starts with Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Oklahoma City has arguably been the best team in basketball so far this season, demonstrated by their league-leading +11.9 net rating. Moreover, this is also a rematch of last year's Western Conference Semifinals.
Then, to cap off the quarterfinals, the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets will go toe-to-toe at the Toyota Center. It's a fascinating duel in many respects. The former is an experienced group and widely considered an all-time dynasty. Conversely, the latter is a young club on the rise -- quickly. Yet, they boast two of the Association's most stout defensive units and play with a tenacity/chip on their shoulders that most don't.