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Knockout round schedule

The second phase of Knockout Rounds in the short history of the Emirates NBA Cup offers plenty It’s crackling as the quarter-finals are being played on site Encounters. With the Lakers already eliminated, a new champion will be crowned.

Milwaukee And Oklahoma City bought their tickets for the semi-finals in Las Vegas on Tuesday and eliminated Orlando and Dallas respectively. The field of participants will be determined on Wednesday with the remaining quarterfinals.

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Western Conference

Golden State (3-1) vs. Houston (3-1)

• Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT

Warrior: Golden State did its work early, beating Dallas in the opening game of group play to hang on despite losing in Tuesday’s final in Denver.

Rockets: Houston secured its spot in West Group A before Thanksgiving, winning at Minnesota on Nov. 26.

How much value should Cup enthusiasts place on Golden State’s 99-93 win over the Rockets on Thursday night?

There is nothing as a preview of the quarterfinals fresher than the Warriors’ victory over the team they will face again on Wednesday in Houston. The defense dominated, as could be expected given the work the teams have done all season (Golden State fourth, Houston second). Combined, they missed 108 of their 179 shots, for an overall shooting percentage of 39.7%. And let’s remember: There was no Stephen Curry or Draymond Green to bother the Rockets.

Still, it took a toll on Jonathan Kumingas Golden State scored a career-high 33 points, breaking a five-game losing streak. Houston has a 10-4 record of late, averaging 11 more points at home (9-3) than on the road.

Both teams qualify as surprises for 2024-25, with The Rockets heeded coach Ime Udoka’s defensive focus and the Warriors led the Pacific Division in harassing their opponents to an NBA-worst 32.8% on 3-pointers. Only Curry, at 23.3 ppg for 30This one of the 60 best goalscorers in the cup tournament so far.

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Eastern Conference

Atlanta (3:1) vs. New York (4:0)

• Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Hawks: Their Cup ambitions became clear when they defeated Boston, outscoring the home Celtics 63-51 in the second half. and they secured their group with another impressive win against Cleveland.

Curtsy: New York saved its best for last in the final against Orlando and prevailed against the otherwise weak East Group A, which ended 3:9.

Will the Hawks quiet the Knicks’ offense or figure out how to outwork them?

Good luck with that. New York has the NBA’s top-ranked offense. It has outscored its opponents at Madison Square Garden by an average of 17.2 points per game, which explains its 8-2 home record. Last year they fell in the Cup quarterfinals and missed a trip to Las Vegas, but that came in Milwaukee.

Atlanta has more quality wings than a kaleidoscope of butterflies, led by Jalen Johnson and early Most Improved candidate Dyson Daniels. Trae Young has taken advantage of it – his shooting and scoring abilities are down, but his assists (12 apg) are at the highest level in the league.

Still, the Knicks have the Jalen Brunson-Karl-Anthony Towns one-two punch and four other guys averaging double figures. The Hawks beat them in Atlanta on November 6th, but on the road they trail by almost three points per game. And New York improved its defensive ranking from 19thTh overall to ninth place in the cup game.

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Steve Aschburner has been writing about the NBA since 1980. You can send him an email Herefind his archive here And Follow him on X.

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