NBA Cup: Bucks Survive Quarterfinals, Knicks Next?

The New York Knicks’ path forward in the NBA Cup has been revealed.

Behind a dominant joint effort from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, the Milwaukee Bucks held off a furious challenge from the shorthanded Orlando Magic in the opening round of the in-season competition’s knockout portion, prevailing by a 114-109 final at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday night.

Antetokounmpo scored 37 points while Lillard added 28 more, including a stretch of nine straight toward the end of the game. Former Knick Bobby Portis also posted a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench as Milwaukee (13-11) continued its ongoing surge after a slow start:: Tuesday’s win was the Bucks’ ninth in the past 11 games and they remain undefeated in NBA Cup play.

The wild-card Magic (17-9) put forth a valiant effort despite missing franchise faces Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Jalen Suggs had 32 points to lead Orlando in defeat and three Central Floridians reached double figures off the bench.

The Bucks are thus on their way back to Las Vegas for the second consecutive season, as they’ll look to atone for last year’s semifinal loss to the Indiana Pacers. With all of last year’s semifinalists already eliminated, Milwaukee will be the only team making the return trip to Sin City.

With their win, the Bucks now await the victor of the other quarterfinal between the Knicks and Atlanta Hawks, which will be staged on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). If the Knicks win, they’ll face the Bucks in Las Vegas in Saturday’s semifinals. A loss, on the other hand, would have them heading south, as they would instead face the Magic in a rematch of last week’s winner-take-all match for East Group A, won by the Knicks in one-sided fashion at Madison Square Garden.

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