On Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Orlando Magic, 114-109 to advance in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup. The in-season tournament was introduced last year by the NBA as a way to make regular season games the early part of the season more meaningful. So what happens now?
The Bucks are in Las Vegas this weekend, where they’ll compete in the semifinals of the in-season tournament, and hopefully the finals as well. With that in mind, we’ve got your questions answered about the NBA Cup.
Does the trophy mean anything?
Technically, yes. The Bucks would become the second NBA Cup champions. However, only the semifinal game on Friday will count towards the regular season standings. The previous games in group play, as well as the quarterfinal game against the Magic, all counted towards the Bucks’ overall record and the league standings. If they make the finals, however, that game will not count towards the standings.
So why would they want to play an extra game?
With the introduction of the NBA Cup format, there was certainly a new incentive to win the tournament: prize money. For 2024, each player on the winning team will receive $514,970. So far, the Bucks have secured $102,994 bonuses each, and that increases to $205,988 if they win on Saturday. There's also a trophy, of course, and an MVP for the NBA Cup games that will receive Not bad for an extra day’s work.
When do the Bucks play this weekend?
The Bucks will take on the Atlanta Hawks from Las Vegas on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised on TNT. If they win, they’ll also play in the finals on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
Who’s left in the tournament?
Besides the Bucks and the Hawks, the Houston Rockets will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on the other side of the bracket on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. If the Bucks win, they’ll face the winner of that game on Tuesday night.
So far this season, the Bucks have lost their only meeting with the Hawks on December 4th, in a game where Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for Milwaukee with 31 points and 11 rebounds. They have also beaten the Rockets in their lone meeting so far, winning 101-100 on November 18th thanks to a late Damian Lillard layup. Milwaukee has not faced Oklahoma City yet this year. In any case, the next two games for the Bucks will surely be tough competition, especially with extra prize money on the line.
Where can I go to watch the game?
Well, how convenient of you to ask that! We have a handy dandy Sports Bar Guide that will show you everywhere that you can belly up to the bar and catch a game.
