The Emirates NBA Cup is still fairly new—it first started last season known as the In-season Tournament—and teams and fans alike are still getting used to it. The colorful courts are always the first indication that an NBA Cup game is being played.
The idea behind the competition is to add meaningful games to a stretch of the long NBA season that can become dull at times. Plus, all games except for the championship game count towards teams’ regular season records, adding extra incentive for players to compete.
For the Magic, the NBA Cup certainly offers plenty of opportunities this year. Orlando had a chance to win their group, make a big statement against the New York Knicks on TNT, and establish themselves as a true competitor in a struggling Eastern Conference.
The Magic were not ready for the big stage once again, losing the final game of the group stage to the Knicks on national TV. Nevertheless, the Magic will still advance to the next stage of the NBA Cup: the knockout rounds.
Orlando Magic secure wild card spot in the East
Eight teams will advance past the group stage—the six winners of each group and one wild card team from each conference. The wild card team is the squad with the best record and point differential that did not win their group.
In the Western Conference, that honor went to the Dallas Mavericks, while the Magic narrowly beat the Boston Celtics for the wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference because they had a better point differential.
Now, the Magic will have a chance to compete with the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and Atlanta Hawks to go to the NBA Cup Final in Las Vegas.
How do the Knockout Rounds work?
The NBA Cup’s quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship game are all single-elimination games, thus earning the title “knockout rounds.” Just one loss can end a team’s hopes of going to Las Vegas and winning the prize money and trophy.
In the quarterfinals, the two teams with the best group play records get homecourt advantage, and the team that finished the first stage of the tournament with the best record and point differential will host the wild card team. The Milwaukee Bucks are that team in the Eastern Conference and thus get to host the Magic on December 10 at 7 p.m. ET on TNT.
It will be the first game of the quarterfinals and a chance at redemption for the Magic. Another high-stakes game on national TV means the Magic have another chance to make a statement and let the rest of the league know that they are indeed a real threat, even without Paolo Banchero.
If the Magic win their game against the Bucks, they will advance to the semifinals and face the winner of the Knicks-Hawks matchup to determine who will come out of the Eastern Conference. If the Magic lose, they will face the other losing team in the Eastern Conference in a regular season game sometime between December 12 and 16.