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NBA Cup results tracker: Knicks bypass Bucks as group play calms down

JamesMcGheeBy No Comments7 Mins Read
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NBA Cup group play ends. Friday’s 11-game slate began with 12 teams fighting for six spots in the tournament’s round of 16, starting with the Magic securing a spot in the round of 16.

As the NBA Cup East group play calms down, let’s take a game-by-game look at each result on Friday’s slate as the West groups begin their clashes:

New York Knicks 118, Milwaukee Bucks 107

The Knicks faced several double-digit deficits and had one of their own shrinks, but they managed to pull out a decisive victory against the Bucks when Giannis Antetokounmpo returned.

Jalen Brunson did whatever he wanted against Milwaukee in the first three quarters, scoring 31 points in that span. That forced the Bucks to blitz him in the fourth quarter, but his teammates made just enough shots to close out Milwaukee’s late surge.

New York will stop in Toronto for the quarterfinals before a possible trip to Las Vegas for the semifinals and final. This is important because the Knicks will travel more than any other NBA team this season if they make it to Las Vegas. New York spent a week in Abu Dhabi for the preseason. The two cross-country flights required to arrive in Las Vegas are separate from the West Coast road trips still planned.

What to watch for the second part of the season. — James Edwards III, Knicks beat writer

Orlando Magic 112, Detroit Pistons 109

Controversial contests have become the norm between the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons, and Friday’s NBA Cup matchup was no different as the Magic outlasted the Pistons to win East Group B. In addition to losing, Orlando handed Detroit its first consecutive defeat of the season.
Desmond Bane began chewing on several Pistons before tipoff and continued throughout the evening. His antics fueled his game as he dropped a team-high 37 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal.

Cade Cunningham led Detroit with his second triple-double of the year, finishing with 39 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. The Pistons finished with more turnovers (24) than assists (22), allowed four offensive rebounds in the final minute and missed seven free throws in a game decided by three points.
Detroit is now effectively eliminated from the Cup and will travel to Miami to face the Heat on Saturday for the second night of back-to-back games in an attempt to avoid their third straight loss. — Hunter Patterson and the Pistons beat the writer

Atlanta Hawks 130, Cleveland Cavaliers 123

Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson talked before the game about pregame concerns, and not so much about the goal margin. In retrospect, this seems wise. The Cavs had scenarios in which a win by 16 or more would help them advance in the NBA Cup, but they ended up not winning at all in Atlanta. Cleveland lost 130-123 to the Hawks thanks to a series of turnovers (17) and unusually poor transition defense (36 fast break points from Atlanta).

Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson, pushing for an All-Star bid, punished the Cavs with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his second triple-double of the season, while guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 28.

Cleveland got 42 from star guard Donovan Mitchell, but very few from the supporting cast. Forward De’Andre Hunter, in his first game in Atlanta since being dealt to Cleveland by the Hawks at the February trade deadline, scored 15, including a huge dunk over Mo Gueye that ended in a scramble between the two.

The Cavs were also hurt by a late jump ball with the game tied with 1:24 remaining and the game tied at 123, when Atlanta’s Onyeka Okongwu 6-8 unexpectedly beat Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen from 7 feet to secure Atlanta’s possession. Zaccharie Rishacer nailed a 3 on the Hawks’ possession, and after Alexander-Walker followed with a triple on the next trip to Atlanta, the outcome was all but assured. — John Hollinger, NBA Senior Writer

San Antonio Spurs 139, Denver Nuggets 136

The Spurs continue to play well without Victor Wembanyama, securing their spot in the NBA Cup quarterfinals with a 139-136 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Julian Champagnie was the team’s surprise star, playing more aggressively than he has all season for a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds. Devin Vassell shot lights out in crunch time, while De’Aaron Fox recorded his third double-digit assist game of the season.

Most impressively, the Spurs managed to keep Nikola Jokić at bay most of the night, as the three-time MVP only took 10 shots and never really took control of the game. The Spurs have learned during this time without their franchise cornerstone that their defensive identity holds up without him, and their offense can open up now that Fox and Dylan Harper are healthy. — Jared Weiss, Spurs beat writer

Oklahoma City Thunder 123, Phoenix Suns 119

The Thunder escaped with a victory against the disjointed Suns and won West Group A of the NBA Cup. OKC nearly gave up this game in the final seconds after Collin Gillespie knocked the ball away from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and both teams scrambled for possession. Alex Caruso recovered the ball and distributed it to SGA, who won the game with free throws to secure the final score of the game.

The Suns were led by Gillespie, who had 24 points, three rebounds and four assists. Jalen Williams made his season debut after missing the first 19 games due to wrist surgery. Williams struggled to score, going 3 of 12 from the field for 11 points. The Thunder will likely be the top seed in the West since they posted a league-high plus-75 point differential for the NBA Cup group games. Their opponent will likely be this same Suns team that appears to be the Wild Card team in the West. — Andrew Schlecht, host of the NBA podcast

Memphis Grizzlies 112, Los Angeles Clippers 107

The LA Clippers blew a 16-point second-half lead to the Memphis Grizzlies, losing their 12th game of the month. The NBA Cup was a distant possibility for the Clippers after their loss to the Lakers on Tuesday night, but the Clippers currently have bigger problems than a cup. They are losing games with Kawhi Leonard scoring 39 points and are firmly in the bottom five of the Western Conference. Their .263 winning percentage puts them on track to reach their worst single-season record in 2008-09 (19-63).

Chris Paul did not speak to the media tonight despite acknowledging his retirement via a Clippers tribute video. This is the fourth straight game Paul has not addressed the media following his social media post Saturday morning in Charlotte. — Law Murray and the Clippers beat the writer

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