The Sacramento Kings have snatched the last quarter-final ticket in the newly created NBA Cup
The last decision before the start of the knockout phase in the NBA Cup brought the hoped-for excitement. Several teams still had the chance to advance to the quarter-finals, but in the end the Sacramento Kings secured their progress with a very close 124:123 win against the Golden State Warriors – while other teams had to wait anxiously for the outcome of the game in California. The Kings fought back from a 24-point deficit and finally won with a difficult game-winner from Malik Monk (21 points).
In the East, the Milwaukee Bucks won their group with 131:124 at the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics with 124:97 against the Chicago Bulls. The wild-card spot in the East goes to the New York Knicks, who edged past the playoff-less Orlando Magic with a 115-91 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Isaiah Hartenstein contributed four points and six rebounds from the bench to the Knicks’ third win in their fourth tournament game.
In the West, the playoff-less Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans benefited from defeats by their rivals. Among others, the Dallas Mavericks won 121-115 against the Houston Rockets thanks to 41 points from Luka Doncic – but made headlines off the court due to a possible change of ownership.
Also in action on Wednesday night (CET): Dennis Schröder with the Toronto Raptors, who already had no chance of reaching the quarter-finals. The Canadians lost 103:115 at the Brooklyn Nets. Schröder scored 14 points and also had nine assists and five rebounds.
