Milwaukee and New York have both advanced to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, mirroring their achievements from the previous year. Joining them are Atlanta and Orlando, setting the stage for an exciting knockout phase of the tournament.

Next week will feature the first two quarterfinal matchups in the Eastern Conference: Orlando’s visit to Milwaukee and Atlanta’s matchup against New York. The game between the Hawks and the Knicks is scheduled for December 11, as confirmed by the Knicks organization.

Milwaukee secured its spot in the quarterfinals with a decisive victory over Detroit, clinching the top position in East Group B with an undefeated record of 4-0. Similarly, New York finished atop East Group A, achieving the same record after defeating Orlando, who finished with a 3-1 record. Orlando managed to claim the wild-card position in the Eastern Conference by overcoming Boston in a point-differential tiebreaker. Atlanta, boasting a record of 3-1, had already locked down East Group C earlier, thanks in part to a narrow one-point win against the Celtics on November 12.

In the Western Conference, two teams — Houston as the winner of West Group A and Golden State from West Group C — were confirmed for the quarterfinals, with remaining spots being decided later in the evening. The victorious teams from the quarterfinals will move on to the semifinals in Las Vegas on December 14, culminating in the championship game on December 17.

Bucks coach Doc Rivers expressed his team’s desire to excel in the tournament, stating, “They put a tournament in front of us and we want to win it. And we said that early on.” With their current record of 4-0, Rivers acknowledged there’s still work to be done but felt assured that they earned the opportunity to play at home in the next round.

Despite the excitement surrounding the event’s second year, some individuals remain uncertain about the tournament rules. Rivers was reminded that his team indeed would have home-court advantage in the quarters.

For Orlando to secure the wild-card, they needed to avoid losing by more than 37 points against New York. At one point late in the third quarter, they found themselves down by exactly 37 points. However, by rallying back, the Magic outscored the Knicks 40 to 18 during the remainder of the game, ultimately losing by 15 points but still clinching the spot over the Celtics in the wild-card standings.

Franz Wagner, a forward for the Magic, reflected on the team’s advancement saying, “We earned our way into the quarterfinal. Obviously, not our best game today but that’s why you play every minute in the other games. It feels weird after a game like this to advance, but that’s just part of it.”