The Knicks steamrolled the Orlando Magic to win East Group A in the NBA Cup and remain alive for payouts of more than $500,000 per player awarded to the championship team.
New York went 4-0 in pool play and will host Atlanta on Dec. 11. Orlando (3-1) advanced as the East wild card and will travel to Milwaukee.
Asked if there was a little something extra on the line in what was an elimination game for the Knicks, forward Josh Hart, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds in the 121-106 victory told Alan Hahn of the MSG Network, “No. I might get a new watch though”
Payouts for the NBA Cup look like this:
- Players who lose in the quarterfinals: $51,497
- Players who lose in the semifinals: $102,994
- Players who lose in the championship game: $205,988
- Players who win the NBA Cup: $514,971
While money like that might not mean much to someone like Hart, who is due to make $18,144,000 this season, you can bet it means something to a player like Miles McBride, who earns $4,710,144 and scored 18 points in the win, or Matt Ryan, who will make $1,988,603 and doesn’t have a contract beyond this season.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 15 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 21 points and Mikal Bridges had 19 points.
Franz Wagner finished with 30 points while Moritz Wagner had 20 off the bench for the Magic, who had their six-game winning streak snapped.
The Magic needed only to lose by no more than 37 points to advance via tiebreaker.
New York led by 36-26 at the end of the first quarter and led by as many as 22 points in the second before going into the half with a 71-51 lead.
(The AP contributed reporting)
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.
