There are plenty of incentives for a team to keep advancing in the NBA Cup, but there are also benefits to missing out, something the Cavs are seeing this week.

There's one thing motivating the Knicks to win Wednesday night against Atlanta and it's the one thing everyone is after.

The New York Knicks are set to compete in the NBA Cup's knockout round, starting Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Knicks went 4-0 in group play to win East Group A, and as a result will take on the Atlanta Hawks,

Only one night remains of the 2024 NBA Cup group play games — 11 contests — yet five of the eight spots in the knockout round are still up for grabs. There are a handful of deciding games but far more teams will spend Tuesday night doing the math on point differential.

Here's how the Magic, Bucks, Hawks, Knicks, Mavericks, Thunder, Warriors and Rockets measure up to each other, and how the NBA Cup could go.

The Atlanta Hawks were even worse at +15000 odds, which were better than only seven teams in the entire NBA. Those odds were actually better than where the Hawks opened at +20000, making Atlanta’s run to the quarterfinals from a group that included the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers all the more stunning.

The Bucks are heading back to Las Vegas as an East semifinalist, while the Thunder booked their spot in the West bracket of the NBA Cup.

From NBA League Pass to ESPN, TNT, FanDuel Sports Networks and more, you can catch the NBA Cup, as well as every game during the 2024-25 NBA season, without cable through to the NBA Finals.