Eight teams have survived group play and will qualify for this year’s NBA Cup. Four from the west and four from the east. The NBA Cup is a mid season tournament that the league introduced at the end of the 2022 season. All 30 teams were placed in six different groupings, the teams would then face each other in games to determine the winner of each group. Each team that placed in the top seed and the one team that had the best record but finished second in their grouping would also qualify to be moved onto the NBA Cup bracket. This year’s second-ever NBA Cup will feature teams from all over the overall standings list.
In the quarterfinals, the #1 tournament-seeded Bucks will face the Orlando Magic, followed by the New York Knicks matched up against the Atlanta Hawks to round out the East side of the bracket. On the west side of the bracket, SGA and the Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors will travel to Houston to take on the Rockets. Most of these teams have caught fire recently including the Hawks, as of recent has given the Cleveland Cavs two of their four losses overall on the season. They have also knocked off the reigning NBA cup champs, Los Angeles Lakers in an OT thriller, 134-132. The Hawks survived last year’s finals champions, the Boston Celtics in group play, beating them out by their point differential compared to the Celtics point differential. The Rockets and Thunder are the teams to beat in the bracket, with a strong start to the season for both young squads but for a more experienced Thunder group it’s scary what they will do in the NBA Cup and the rest of the year especially playing exceptional without one of their best young stars, Chet Holmgren as he has been out and will be out for a big chunk of the season.
The Houston Rockets have been a shocking team this year to watch, its young pieces parted alongside former star vets like Fred Vanfleet has made the Rockets look like playoff contenders this year. Led by former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka the Rockets have looked very mature and polished since last year. The addition of Dillion Brooks has fit perfectly in this Rocket’s defensive culture. The mixing of young flashy stars they drafted in the past years like Jalen Green and Alperen Segun carrying the load on offense while Brooks and newly acquired Amen Thompson on the defensive side of the ball has flashed elite defending, there is a very balanced, all-around team in Texas looking to make a name for themselves in the NBA cup.
The Quarterfinals of this year’s NBA Cup is underway on Tuesday to see who will be surviving onto the next round of final four in the NBA. Watch as some of the most exciting teams and players host in what feels like a playoff atmosphere, with a trophy, loud fan bases, and games that are all on this Early into the season!
