Let’s find who joined the Hawks, Warriors and Rockets after Tuesday night’s results
The final round of the Group Play stage comes to an end, and the NBA Cup’s knockout round is ready to kick off in Las Vegas. Before Tuesday night’s results, only three teams qualified for the next round, and the NBA Cup scenario was pretty complicated. Let’s figure out the qualifying teams for the NBA Cup quarterfinals:
As per the rule, four teams from the East and four from the West will reach the quarterfinal stage. Six teams out of eight will qualify to be the top-ranked team in their respective group, and two teams (each from the conference) will be wild-card entries on the basis of their performance in group play.
Eastern Conference
These are the four teams who secured their place in the quarterfinal round:
Atlanta Hawks (Winner of Group C)
Atlanta Hawks were the first team in the Eastern Conference to qualify for the knockout round, dropping 3-1 in Group C. The Hawks beat the Celtics 117-116 in the opening game, and the victory against Wizard helped them to reach 2-0 in two games. Bulls overcame the Hawks in a high-scoring game, but Atlanta assured their Las Vegas ticket with a 117-101 win over the top-seed Cavaliers.
Milwaukee Bucks (Winner of Group B)
Milwaukee Bucks became the first team to win all four games in group play. Bucks knocked out the Pistons 128-107 in the final game to take top spot in Group B. However, they beat teams like the Raptors and Heat in the first three games but a win against last season’s runner-ups, Indiana Pacers gave them a big boost.
New York Knicks (Winner of Group A)
New York Knicks joined the Bucks to post a 4-0 record in the Group Play. It was a virtual knockout game between the NY Knicks and Orlando Magic for the top spot in Group A. The Knicks routed the Magic 121-106 to become the third team in the East to reach knockouts.
Orlando Magic (Wild-card team)
Despite a loss in their final game against the Knicks, Magic qualified for the knockout round thanks to a better goal difference. Magic had a competition with Celtics (+23) and Pistons (+7) who fell short in the race to quarterfinals. Magic beat the Hornets, 76ers and Nets in the first three games before losing the final one to Knicks.
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Western Conference
Golden State Warriors (Winner of Group C)
The Warriors didn’t wait for the final night, as they had already clinched the top spot in Group C. Golden State won their first three games convincingly with a margin of 355-343. The last game against the Denver Nuggets was tough for the Warriors and they dropped their fifth straight game. Steph Curry & Co. has to improve their form ahead of the quarterfinals.
Houston Rockets (Winner of Group A)
The Houston Rockets were too strong for their opponents in Group A. They secured their knockout qualification in the first three games. Rockets beat the Clippers and Trail Blazers in the first two assignments to assure it. A win against the Timberwolves was a ticket to the quarterfinals. However, they lost to the Kings in the final game but retained their top spot.
Oklahoma City Thunder (Winner of Group B)
Thunder cracked the most complicated group. Oklahoma City routed Utah Jazz with a 27-point win and improved to 3-1 in group play. Despite the comeback win of Dallas over the Grizzlies, they qualified ahead of the Suns, who beat the Spurs 104-93. The Thunder had previously beaten the Suns in their opening game.
Dallas Mavericks (Wild-card team)
Dallas Mavericks pulled off a great comeback in their final game to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 121-116. Dallas made into the quarterfinals as a wild-card team, courtesy of a better point-differential. They had a competition with the Suns, Thunder and Trail Blazers. The Mavericks crossed all three rivals on point difference.
