The NBA Cup is headed to Las Vegas with four teams vying for the title and the prize money that comes with it. In the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks will face-off for a spot in the finals. In the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the Houston Rockets. Both games will take place on Saturday, Dec. 14 at T-Mobile Arena on the Vegas strip.
The final four is the end result of a thrilling quarterfinals round that saw higher-seeded teams host games at their home arenas. The Hawks extended their Cinderella run in the Cup with a dramatic win against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. When it was over, Trae Young rolled dice at center court.
The Bucks are back in NBA Cup final four for the second straight year. Milwaukee had a disappointing start to the season, but they’ve steadied the ship lately, with Giannis Antetokounmpo again emerging as a serious MVP candidate. The Bucks snuck by an Orlando Magic team without its two best players in the quarterfinals. Milwaukee is a short favorite in the semifinal matchup with Atlanta, and would love to the Cup to show it remains a serious contender come playoff time.
The Thunder enter Las Vegas as the clear best team in the field. Oklahoma City is the top seed in the West right now, and they look like a powerhouse even without injured star center Chet Holmgren. The Thunder’s defense is performing at a historic level, and they will take on one of the league’s other elite defensive teams in the Rockets. Houston earned an incredible last second victory over the Golden State Warriors in the quarterfinals, and is looking to solidify its status as not just one of the league’s best young teams — but one of its best teams altogether.
NBA Cup 2024 bracket
NBA Cup semifinals schedule, matchups, dates, times, and scores
All times ET.
Saturday, Dec. 14
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Atlanta Hawks, 4:30 p.m., TNT
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets, 8:30 p.m., TNT
NBA Cup finals date, time, and TV
Tuesday, Dec. 17
East champ vs. West champ
NBA Cup quarterfinals scores
Milwaukee Bucks 114, Orlando Magic 109
Oklahoma City Thunder 118, Dallas Mavericks 104
Atlanta Hawks 108, New York Knicks Knicks 100
Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets, 8:30 p.m., TNT
NBA Cup cash prizes and player purse
The NBA Cup pays every player on teams that reach the quarterfinals, and the cash purse only gets bigger as your team advances through the bracket. Here are the player payouts for the 2024 NBA Cup:
- Players on losing quarterfinals teams: $51,497.
- Players on losing semifinals teams: $102,994.
- Players on losing team in NBA Cup finals: $205,988.
- Players on winning team in NBA Cup finals: $514,970.
