2024 NBA Cup: Knockout round schedule as Final Eight is officially set

Breaking down the knockout round schedule of the 2024 NBA Cup now that the Final Eight has been set.

As the Final Eight of the 2024 NBA Cup has been decided, there is one certainty - it's that there will be no back-to-back champion of the in-season tournament. The Los Angeles Lakers, the defending NBA Cup champions, did not make it beyond the group stage this season. That will set up the opportunity for a new champion to be crowned.

After the group stage schedule, the Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, and New York Knicks are the four teams that have advanced to the knockout round portion of the NBA Cup. The quarterfinals are set to take place next week.

The 2024 NBA Cup Knockout Rounds schedule

The quarterfinals officially take place on Tuesday, December 10 and Wednesday, December 11. Here is the complete schedule of the NBA Cup's Knockout rounds:

Quarterfinals:
Orlando at Milwaukee - Dec. 10 @ 7:00 p.m.(ET)
Atlanta at New York - Dec. 11 @ 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Dallas at Oklahoma City - Dec. 10 @ 9:30 p.m. (ET)
Golden State at Houston - Dec. 11 @ 9:30 p.m. (ET)

Semifinals:
East winner vs East winner - Dec. 14
West winner vs. West winner - Dec. 14

Championship:
East winner vs. West winner - Dec. 17

Which team should be considered the favorite?

Over the next couple of weeks, we're going to crown the second-ever NBA Cup champion. At this point, it could be difficult to look at one team as the favorite. However, based on how they've been playing recently, the Knicks and Bucks have to be considered the likely matchup in the semifinals out East with the Mavs and Thunder as the favorite out West. Either way, there's a good chance that the championship will feature two of the hottest teams in the league.

Of course, injuries can completely change the outlook for every team heading into the knockout round but if I had to make a prediction, I may lean to the Bucks emerging as the NBA Cup winners. All of a sudden, the Bucks have become one of the hottest teams in the league. Milwaukee has won seven games in a row and nine of their last 10. They're also expecting the return of Khris Middleton soon. They just may be starting to play their best basketball at the right time.