Six of the eight knockout round spots in the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament were up for grabs Tuesday. With the Bucks (4-0) defeating the Heat (2-2) in Miami, Milwaukee won Group B and earned the top overall seed in the East. The Indiana Pacers (4-0) and Boston Celtics (3-1) claimed Groups A and C, respectively, while the New York Knicks (3-1) won the wild-card spot based on record and a plus-42 point differential.
In the West, the Sacramento Kings’ (4-0) comeback win at home against the Golden State Warriors (2-2) on Tuesday sealed Group C. The Los Angeles Lakers (4-0) took Group A and the New Orleans Pelicans (3-1) won Group B with the Phoenix Suns (3-1) in as the wild-card winner.
Here’s how the single-elimination quarterfinals look:
- Celtics at Pacers (Monday)
- Pelicans at Kings (Monday)
- Suns at Lakers (Tuesday)
- Knicks at Bucks (Tuesday)
Giannis and the Bucks win in Miami to clinch East Group B and lock down the #1 seed in the Knockout Rounds pic.twitter.com/ZNpgOJQtKg
— NBA (@NBA) November 29, 2023
Biggest takeaways from Tuesday night
Boston’s game against Chicago offered the greatest excitement, even if it was a noncompetitive blowout. With the Celtics knowing they needed to win by at least 22 points to win a potential tie-break with Orlando and Brooklyn, Boston raced out to a big lead and then kept its starters in throughout the fourth quarter to maintain it.
The Knicks also racked up a big win on a LaMelo Ball-less Charlotte team to move past Orlando in the point differential standings. They needed most of their 22-point margin over the Hornets after Cleveland made a late push to hammer Atlanta by 23 and nearly catch the Knicks.
Brooklyn also had a chance to knock out both Boston and Orlando at the end of its win over Toronto, but it was four points shy before conceding a meaningless 3-pointer at the buzzer to OG Anunoby that took the final margin to seven points. — John Hollinger, senior NBA columnist
Breaking down the matchups
Milwaukee and New York will be a rematch of the tournament game won by the Bucks, 110-105, on Nov. 3. The two teams will now play each other three times in December, as the two were already slated to meet on Dec. 23 and on Christmas. Milwaukee will be favored on its home court.
Upstart Indiana went unbeaten in a tough Group A but the Pacers now draw the mighty Celtics for their troubles. Boston embarrassed Indiana 155-104 in their only meeting thus far on Nov. 1; however, unlike that game, this contest will be played in Indiana. The Celtics have the league’s best record, while Indiana leads the league in both points scored and points allowed.
Required reading
(Photo: Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
