Winner advances.
It’s one of the most thrilling phrases in sports, and it perfectly captures the stakes for the Knicks as they prepare for their NBA Cup Group Play finale against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
Both teams enter the matchup with identical 3-0 records in NBA Cup play, riding impressive hot streaks. The Knicks have won seven of their last nine games, while the Magic carry a six-game winning streak with 12 wins in their last 13 outings.
Something has to give, and with a chance to move deeper into the NBA Cup—a competition still carving its legacy in its second year—Tuesday’s clash is set to be a showcase of two rising Eastern Conference contenders.
The Magic enter Tuesday shorthanded, missing franchise cornerstone Paolo Banchero, sidelined with a torn oblique. But they haven’t missed a beat, thanks in large part to German international standout Franz Wagner.
In Banchero’s absence, Wagner is thriving, averaging 25.4 points per game in November and spearheading the team’s remarkable turnaround. After an 0-4 skid following Banchero’s injury, the Magic have surged to a 12-1 record since, positioning themselves as one of the hottest teams in the league.
“I haven’t watched him too much. Obviously, I’ll watch him a bit more tonight and tomorrow, but he’s a heckuva player,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said after Sunday’s win over the Pelicans. “He was that last year, and obviously with Paolo being hurt, he’s stepping up, and he’s really carrying that team. They’ve had one loss in the last like 13, 14 games. They’re the hottest team in the league right now. I have no idea who is going to be on him, but we’ll probably show him different looks. Respect him. He’s on pace to be an All-Star this year and a max guy.”
How the Knicks Got Here
The Knicks’ path to 3-0 in NBA Cup play began with a decisive 111-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on Nov. 12. They followed up with a nail-biting two-point win over the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 15 and a one-point victory against the Charlotte Hornets in Friday’s Group Play matchup.
NBA Cup rules dictate that the top team from each group advances automatically to the knockout stage, joined by two wild-card teams—one from each conference—based on point differential. But the Knicks face a clear reality: they must win to advance.
With a point differential of just +15, the Knicks are well behind other teams in contention for wild-card spots. The Boston Celtics, for instance, sit at 3-1 with a +23 differential, while the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons both boast 3-0 records and point differentials in the high 20s. A loss to Orlando would eliminate New York from NBA Cup competition.
Do the Players Care?
For Knicks captain Jalen Brunson, the NBA Cup holds real meaning—not just for the chance to add hardware to the franchise’s trophy case, but for the financial boost it provides to the roster.
Each player on the NBA Cup-winning team earns a $500,000 bonus. While that may be a modest incentive for stars like Brunson, who inked a four-year, $156.5 million extension this offseason, it’s a significant payday for younger or lower-earning players like rookie Pacome Dadiet, slated to make $1.8 million this year, and Jericho Sims and Cameron Payne, both earning less than $2.1 million.
“It would mean a lot. It would mean a lot for us to get there and do all that,” Brunson said. “But you have guys on the team who may be on one-year contracts or two-ways, or whatever. And you get to go out there and try to win for them, and it means a lot. I’m not going in thinking, ‘How is this going to benefit me?’ I’m thinking, ‘How is this going to benefit the team?’ There are games on the schedule, they matter, and we have to go out there and win them.”
Hart echoed a similar sentiment, focusing on the team’s immediate goal rather than the tournament’s implications.
“Not really,” Hart said when asked if the stakes feel higher in an NBA Cup game. “We know what’s at stake in terms of advancing to the Cup and all that. But we want to go out there and win. If we advance in the Cup, that’s obviously perfect. But our mentality is to go out there and take care of business. They’re the hottest team in the league right now, so we’ve got to make sure we match their physicality and their energy. Hopefully, [we’ll] come out with a win.”
