The New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks booked their spots in the NBA Cup knockout stage with commanding victories on Tuesday. The Knicks defeated the Orlando Magic 121-106 at Madison Square Garden to finish unbeaten in East Group A and clinch top spot, with Orlando seizing a quarterfinal berth as the group’s wild card.
New York outmuscled Orlando, who entered with the league’s third-ranked defense. Karl-Anthony Towns paced the Knicks with 23 points and 15 rebounds, accompanied by 21 from Jalen Brunson and a balanced effort behind him: Mikal Bridges with 19, OG Anunoby and Miles McBride with 18 each. Josh Hart added 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Despite Franz Wagner’s 30 points for the Magic, turnovers proved costly as Orlando conceded 32 points on 16 giveaways. They narrowly avoided elimination on points differential, needing to keep their loss margin under 37 to edge out the Boston Celtics for the East wild card.
The Bucks ran away from Detroit 128-107 in the clincher of East Group B. Giannis Antetokounmpo notched 28 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists, and Damian Lillard added 27 on the back of five triples. Milwaukee, now a season-best seven in a row, never trailed in a convincing win that featured 69.2 percent shooting through the first half and a total of 23 threes.
“Unbelievable ball movement and unselfish play were key,” said Bucks coach Doc Rivers.
Elsewhere, the Cleveland Cavaliers breezed past the Washington Wizards 118-87. Eliminated from the Cup, the Cavs improved to a league-best 19-3 record, as Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell scored 19 points apiece.
The NBA Cup quarterfinals are set for next Tuesday and Wednesday, with the semifinals and final to follow in Las Vegas on December 14 and 17, respectively.
