With a 3-1 record in the group stage of the NBA Cup, the Oklahoma City Thunder officially advance to the knockout rounds. After this successful four-game record, OKC won Group B of the Western Conference.

At the beginning of Tuesday, there were only a few different scenarios that could arise for the Thunder to advance to the next round of games. First, Oklahoma City had to defeat the Utah Jazz in the final group game and managed to do so with a 133-106 win. From there, the Thunder needed the Phoenix Suns to beat the San Antonio Spurs, which also came to fruition. If the Spurs had been able to get the win, they would have won the group, meaning OKC would only have a shot at the West’s only wild-card spot. This spot depends on points difference and would have gone to the Dallas Mavericks (+46 points difference) as the Thunder only achieved a points difference of +45 in the group stage.

Regardless, Tuesday night’s events were beneficial for Oklahoma City, as the Thunder are now one of eight teams to advance and have a shot at winning the NBA Cup. In addition, OKC reached first place in the Western Conference by advancing to the knockout rounds.

The next phase of the NBA Cup process will be the quarterfinals, which will be played in NBA markets. The teams with the better group stage record in each match will host games in that round. Therefore, the Thunder (No. 1) will host the Dallas Mavericks (No. 4) in the quarterfinals, with the game taking place at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.

This will be a highly anticipated contest, especially considering the Mavs defeated the Thunder in the NBA playoffs last season. These teams have only played once this season, in a game that took place about two weeks ago where Dallas emerged victorious with a final score of 121-119. The Mavericks were without Luka Doncic in this game due to injury, but he will be back in this NBA Cup match. The key difference for OKC this time around will be Isaiah Hartenstein, which is especially important considering how the Mavericks dominated play last month. Hartenstein is now healthy and will be an important factor for Oklahoma City next week.

Following this round, the semifinals and championship will take place in Las Vegas, with a prize pool and the NBA Cup championship trophy at stake. If Oklahoma City does indeed defeat the Mavericks, the next step is to travel to Las Vegas with the three other teams. If the Thunder lose in the quarterfinals, another standard regular-season game in an NBA market will be added to OKC’s schedule.

The NBA Cup is intended to ensure more competitiveness at the start of the regular season, which was a success again this season. With point differentials being crucial, the final night of the group stage on Tuesday was as exciting as the regular season could get. Whether it’s a contending team gaining experience in playoff-like scenarios or rebuilding teams to play in crucial situations, this has been a successful NBA Cup so far.

For the Oklahoma City Thunder in particular, this was and remains another experience that allows the still very young squad to participate in high-stakes action.