Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The New York Knicks, fueled by 37 points from Jalen Brunson, punched their ticket to the NBA Cup quarter-finals on Friday with a 118-109 victory over Milwaukee that knocked the defending in-season tournament champion Bucks out of the competition. Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a four-game injury absence to score 30 points with 15 rebounds and eight assists in 28 minutes, but the Bucks dropped their seventh straight.
Trailing by four to start the fourth quarter, the Bucks pulled within two points on an Antetokounmpo dunk with 5:19 remaining. But the Knicks pulled away thanks in large part to Brunson, who made nine out of 10 free throws, including four of four in the final period. The Knicks finished atop their group, and their victory at Madison Square Garden also saw the Miami Heat, who were idle on Friday, advance as the Eastern Conference wild card to the quarter-finals to be played December 9 and 10.
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Six knockout round berths were on the line in Friday’s final 11 games of group play in the in-season tournament, in which all games except the final also count in the regular-season standings. The Orlando Magic also advanced with a gritty 112-109 victory over the Pistons in Detroit.
Two days after their 13-game winning streak was ended in Boston, the Pistons rallied from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to twice take a one-point lead, but the Magic came through in the final minutes. Desmond Bane scored 37 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Franz Wagner added 21 points, and Anthony Black scored 16 off the bench for the Magic, who withstood a 39-point triple-double from Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, who added 13 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Magic pulled down a trio of offensive rebounds in the final minute, and Jalen Suggs drilled a pair of free throws with 6.3 seconds left that sealed the win and saw Orlando advance with a perfect 4-0 record in group play.
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