LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks advanced to the knockout phase of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Cup with emphatic victories on Tuesday, the Knicks hammering Orlando, 121-106, in a blowout that still allowed the Magic to grab a quarterfinal berth.
The Knicks dominated at Madison Square Garden in the battle to finish unbeaten and win the East Group A.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, Jalen Brunson added 21 points, Mikal Bridges scored 19 and OG Anunoby and Miles McBride scored 18 apiece for the Knicks while Josh Hart contributed a triple-double of 11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
Franz Wagner scored 30 to lead Orlando, who were assured of advancing so long as they didn’t lose by 37 points or more.
The Magic, who gave up 32 points on 16 turnovers, saw their deficit hit that number in the third quarter but clawed back to grab the East wild card berth on points differential over NBA champions the Boston Celtics, who also finished group play 3-1.
In Detroit, the Bucks drained 23 three-pointers on the way to a 128-107 victory over the Pistons in a battle of East Group B leaders that saw the hosts eliminated.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points with seven rebounds and eight assists and Damian Lillard scored 27 points for the Bucks, who have won seven straight games — including a victory over Detroit in which Antetokounmpo dropped a season-high 59 points.
Antetokounmpo made 10 of 11 shots from the floor and sat out the entire fourth quarter.
Milwaukee had seized control early, connecting on 69.2 percent of their shots in the first half — including 15 of 21 from three-point range.
The quarterfinals of the in-season tournament will be held next Tuesday and Wednesday with the semifinals to be played on 14 December in Las Vegas — where the final will be held on 17 December.