Six NBA Cup Quarterfinal Berths Still Undecided Heading Into Friday’s Group-Stage Finale
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After a Thanksgiving day break, the NBA will complete the group stage of the 2025 NBA Cup on Friday, when 22 teams play their fourth and final tournament game.
Only two clubs have clinched a place in the eight-team knockout round: the Toronto Raptors in Eastern Conference Group A and the Los Angeles Lakers in Western Conference Group B. Six additional quarterfinal slots remain open, with 12 teams still in contention. Head-to-head results and point differential are the first two tiebreakers.
Eastern Conference
Group A: Cleveland (2-1, +33) can grab the conference wild card with a road win over Atlanta. A decisive victory would strengthen the Cavaliers’ point-differential cushion.
Group B: Orlando (3-0, +61) visits Detroit (2-1, +24). The winner takes the group. Even with a loss, the Magic could secure the wild card if the margin is modest.
Group C: Miami (3-1, +49) leads for now but is idle. Milwaukee (2-1, +13) meets New York (2-1, +26) at Madison Square Garden. A Bucks win hands the group to the Heat, who own the tiebreaker over Milwaukee. A Knicks victory gives New York first place. Milwaukee’s path to the wild card likely requires a win plus losses by both Cleveland and Detroit due to its lower differential.
Western Conference
Group A: Oklahoma City (3-0, +71) hosts Phoenix (3-0, +35). The winner claims the group. Because of sizable differentials, the loser is well positioned for the West wild card unless the margin is lopsided.
Group B: The group is already sealed by the Lakers, but Memphis (2-1, +9) and the Clippers (2-1, –15) remain in wild-card contention. They meet at Crypto.com Arena; the victor would finish 3-1 yet may still trail the OKC-Phoenix loser in point differential.
Group C: San Antonio (2-1, +23) travels to Denver (2-1, +26) in a winner-take-all matchup. The victor advances, and the defeated team is eliminated.
All six quarterfinal berths will be decided by the end of Friday’s slate, setting the bracket for the single-elimination stage of the league’s in-season tournament.
Source: Hoops Rumors
