The 2024 NBA Cup knockout stage is underway, and fans were treated to both an upset and a controversial finish on Wednesday night.
First, the Hawks knocked the Knicks out of the in-season tournament with a 108-100 upset at Madison Square Garden. Trae Young had 22 points and 11 assists and De’Andre Hunter added 24 points off the bench for the Hawks, who surged in the second half to beat the heavily favored Knicks.
With the win, the Hawks will face the Bucks in the semifinals in Las Vegas. On the other side of the bracket, the Rockets will square off with the Thunder following a controversial victory over the Warriors. The Warriors led 90-84 with 3:03 to play, but the Rockets scored the game’s final seven points to emerge with a 91-90 victory.
Houston took the one-point lead on two free throws by Jalen Smith with 3.1 seconds to play after Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga was called for a loose ball foul on a wild scramble for the ball off a missed 3-point try from Stephen Curry.
The Bucks knocked out the Magic on Tuesday night in the first quarterfinal game as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard combined for 65 points in a five-point win against a shorthanded Orlando squad. OKC followed it up with a comfortable win against the Mavericks.
The eight quarterfinals reached the knockout stage by either winning their five-team group or making the field as their conference’s lone wild-card team.
The 2024 NBA Cup knockout stage bracket is below, as well as the full schedule. The semifinals are set for Dec. 14, and the championship game will be held Dec. 17.
2024 NBA Cup bracket
2024 NBA Cup knockout schedule
Quarterfinals
All times Eastern
Tuesday, Dec. 10
- Bucks 114, Magic 109
- Thunder 118, Mavericks 104
Wednesday, Dec. 11
- Hawks 108, Knicks 100
- Rockets 91, Warriors 90
Semifinals
Saturday, Dec. 14
- Hawks vs. Bucks, 4:30 p.m. (TNT, Max, TruTV)
- Rockets vs. Thunder, 8:30 p.m. (ABC/fubo)
Final
Tuesday, Dec. 17
- TBD vs. TBD, 8:30 p.m. (ABC/fubo)