The Knicks beat the Orlando Magic 121-106 to advance to the in the quarterfinals of the NBA Emirates Cup. Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with 23 points and 15 rebounds, while Josh Hart had a triple-double with 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Of the eight teams remaining, the Knicks have the best odds to win the whole thing.
Knicks Early Favorites to Win NBA Cup
After their win against the Magic, the Knicks will face the Atlanta Hawks in the quarterfinals of the NBA Emirates Cup. If we look at the immediate betting odds, the Knicks are favored to win the whole thing. While head coach Tom Thibodeau looks only at the next game, which is against the Charlotte Hornets, bettors are trying to guess the winner.
Knicks are the favorites with +390 odds, followed closely by the Oklahoma City Thunder at +400. The Milwaukee Bucks at +500 rounds out the top three.
Last season’s NBA finalist, the Dallas Mavericks, are fourth at +600, followed by the Golden State Warriors at +650. The Warriors, despite losing five games in a row, still have better odds than the Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, and Atlanta Hawks. Two of those teams have a better record than the Warriors.
Not all betting websites have the Warriors as high, but they do have the Knicks first. FoxSports, for example, has the Knicks at +425, followed by the Houston Rockets at +550, and Thunder at +550.
How Did the Knicks Get Here?
The Knicks finished the group stage of the NBA Cup 4-0, with two close wins and two blowout wins. They blew out the Philadelphia 76ers in the first game 111-99, but then they played two very close games against lower opponents. In their second game of the Cup, the Knicks beat the Brooklyn Nets 124-122 in a down-to-the-wire game. In the third game, they played the Charlotte Hornets without LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, winning 99-98.
Can Atlanta Stop the Knicks Again?
While the Knicks are the favorites to win the NBA Cup, they first have to go through Atlanta, a team that they do not have good memories with in win-or-lose games.
The last time the Knicks and the Hawks played in a high-stakes environment, the Hawks beat the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs in 2021. Julius Randle and RJ Barrett were the leaders of that Knicks team, and they are no longer in a New York uniform. Trae Young, however, still plays for the Atlanta Hawks. The Knicks are a team he loves playing against, and he has averaged 25.6 points, 9.6 assists, and 3.2 rebounds against them in 20 games. This time around, the Knicks will count on Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns to lead the way.
In the five playoff games the teams played, Trae averaged 29.2 points, 9.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds on 44% shooting from the floor. He also hit a game-winner in Game 1 in Madison Square Garden to start the series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujy7hN-THb8
The teams have played once this year, with the Hawks winning 121-116. Zaccharie Risacher had his best game of his young career, scoring 33 points to lead the Hawks. Trae Young had 23 points and 10 assists in that game.
