The Los Angeles Lakers secured the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference bracket for the Emirates NBA Cup Knockout Rounds after a 129-119 win over the Dallas Mavericks. This victory followed their earlier clinch of West Group B, achieved with a win against the L.A. Clippers.
Both the Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder completed group play with 4-0 records, but Oklahoma City earned the top seed due to a superior point differential (+75). As a result, Oklahoma City will face the Phoenix Suns, who advanced as a Wild Card team with a 3-1 record. The Lakers are set to host the San Antonio Spurs, who also finished group play at 3-1.
In the Eastern Conference, both Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors finished undefeated in their groups and will serve as hosts for their quarterfinal matchups. Orlando, holding the No. 1 seed, faces Miami Heat, while Toronto will compete against New York Knicks.
The Lakers may benefit from hosting San Antonio since Victor Wembanyama has been sidelined by a calf injury. Although San Antonio has managed without him, Los Angeles could be favored if he remains out of action.
The tournament’s knockout stage is scheduled to begin on December 9 and 10 with quarterfinal games played at home arenas. The semifinals and finals will take place in Las Vegas on December 13 and 15.
There has been some concern about court conditions at Crypto.com Arena; specifically, the special NBA Cup court was not used during Friday’s game against Dallas due to slipperiness. It remains uncertain whether this court will be ready for use by December 10 or if the regular court will again be utilized.
Teams have responded positively to this new competition format, which offers prize money for players and increased engagement from fans.
The schedule for quarterfinals is as follows:
Eastern Conference: Miami Heat vs. Orlando Magic (Dec. 9), New York Knicks vs. Toronto Raptors (Dec. 9).
Western Conference: Phoenix Suns vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Dec. 10), San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Dec. 10).
