Nightly Pulse: NBA Recap & Highlights from Dec. 3

The Hawks, Rockets, and Warriors have secured their spots in the Knockout Round, but there is still plenty to be decided in the Association tonight. With five spots up for grabs in the next round, tonight's eight games will have significant Knockout Round implications.

The final night of 2024 Emirates NBA Cup play

Bucks vs. Pistons (

7 ET, NBA League Pass

)

Wizards vs. Cavaliers (

7 ET, NBA League Pass

)

76ers vs. Hornets (

7 ET, NBA League Pass

)

Pacers vs. Raptors (

7:30 ET, NBA League Pass

)

Magic vs. Knicks (

7:30 ET, TNT

)

Jazz vs. Thunder (

8 ET, NBA League Pass

)

Grizzlies vs. Mavericks (

8:30 ET, NBA League Pass

)

Spurs vs. Suns (

9 ET, NBA League Pass

)

Rockets vs. Kings (

10 ET, NBA League Pass

)

Warriors vs. Nuggets (

10 ET, TNT

)

Trail Blazers vs. Clippers (

10:30 ET, NBA League Pass

)

Getting loose

The Bucks and Pistons prepare to do battle at 7 ET, with East B bragging rights on the line. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the rest of the Milwaukee squad warm up,

while Cade Cunningham works on his shot before arguably the biggest game of his young career.

Congrats, Shai

Gilgeous-Alexander was named the Western Conference Kia Player of the Month for November after winning the award in October, too.

A strong performance from Shai tonight against the Jazz wouldn’t only increase his chances for a three-peat, but it would also help the Thunder advance to the Knockout Round of the Emirates NBA Cup.

Top3️⃣Storylines

The East A and East B brackets are up for grabs when the Pistons host the Bucks and Knicks host the Magic. 

Milwaukee and Detroit are both 3-0 in the East B bracket with the winner of this matchup guaranteed to move on. The loser though will still have a chance to advance depending on how the tiebreakers shake out. The same can be said for Orlando and New York in East A with both teams 3-0 in group play. The winner will clinch the bracket, except due to tiebreakers, if the Knicks lose, they will be eliminated. If the Magic lose, they’ll be in the driver’s seat to secure the East’s Wild Card spot. 

For the Wild Card, the Celtics who have already finished group play with a 3-1 record, but lost the East C bracket to Atlanta are still in contention to move on. It’ll all come down to point differential, as the Celtics finished +23, but Orlando +60, Milwaukee +29, and Detroit +28, are sitting in better position to get the Wild Card spot depending on final scores. Due to Orlando’s massive point differential advantage, it’ll be key for the Celtics and the loser of the Pistons and Bucks game that Orlando defeats New York to have any realistic chance to advance.

2. West B is on the line. 

There are still a lot of moving parts in the West. The Warriors have clinched West C and the Rockets have clinched West A, but West B still has multiple contenders. 

The Spurs will win West B with a victory over the Suns. Oklahoma City will win the bracket if they defeat the Jazz and the Suns beat the Spurs. However, the Suns will take it if they beat San Antonio but the Thunder fall to the Jazz. 

3. The West Wild Card spot has numerous contenders. 

The Wild Card is wide open in the West, as the Suns, Thunder, and Spurs are all still in contention depending on who wins West B. The Clippers, Trail Blazers, Mavericks, Nuggets, and Grizzlies have also yet to be eliminated. A deeper dive into the numerous scenarios here can be accessed via our

2024 NBA Emirates Cup tracker

.