The National Basketball Association Cup is now in its third year, and an idea once looked down on by fans is starting to gain some attraction. This year’s quarterfinals, which take place on Dec. 9 and 10, are now set with some good matchups to look forward to.
Starting with the East matchups that take place on Dec. 9, the number one seed Orlando Magic takes on the fourth seed Miami Heat in a battle of Florida. The Magic, who won all four games in its group, are going into this matchup strong, having won eight of its last 10 and are playing really well. As star Paolo Banchero is starting to find his form, he has not been performing well.
The Heat have surprisingly been able to keep it together without Tyler Herro, who just happened to come back recently. With that heavy reinforcement, the Heat also looked prime for a run at this NBA Cup.The other East matchup is the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors’ core has finally seemed to start playing well together as they are the third seed in the NBA and the second seed in this NBA Cup.
The Knicks, in a year that is make-or-break for them, have also been playing how most expect them to. However, for the Knicks, winning this could be that confidence boost that they need to push for a finals run this season. The Raptors could be playing without former Knick RJ Barrett, who is out with an injury but is expected to return for this game. The Raptors hope that he is there.
The West matchups take place on Dec. 10 with the reigning NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the Phoenix Suns. The Thunder and Suns have faced off this season in the last group game of the NBA Cup, with the Thunder taking it in a close one. The Thunder, who have a historic 20-1 to start the season, look to get back to the NBA finals, which they were in last season but lost to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Suns have played well in the NBA Cup, but not so much in the rest of the league. They played against the Thunder very well in their last game, so they could surprise fans once and beat them. The last matchup to is the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs.
The Lakers just recently got back LeBron James and have continued to play well with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, playing lights out basketball.
The Spurs have struggled without superstar Victor Wembanyama, but luckily for them, he is coming back and they will need him if they are to take down the Lakers and make a run at the NBA Cup