NBA Cup Final Showdown: Knicks, Suns, Denver, OKC

Twelve clubs still eye the final NBA Cup knockout berths as the last group-stage games decide three group winners and several “best second-place” slots. Winner-take-all showdowns — Orlando-Detroit, OKC-Phoenix and Denver-San Antonio — will send victors through; East Group C hinges on Milwaukee vs. New York, which also reshuffles who can chase the best second-place spot. Merlin sees the magic boiling down to margins as much as wins. Cleveland holds the clearest path to the East’s top second slot but must beat Atlanta and widen the point gap; Miami’s +49 is a locked benchmark. In the West, Denver’s loser is already dusted, leaving Phoenix, Memphis and the Clippers in a tight, differential-driven scramble.