Emirates NBA Cup 2024: East Group A Breakdown

As the highly anticipated Emirates NBA Cup 2024 Group Play kicks off in November, we are here to give you a closer look at each group. Today, we focus on East Group A as they gear up for their first game of the tournament.

This group features three playoff teams from 2023-24 season in New York, Orlando and Philadelphia, along with two lottery teams in Brooklyn and Charlotte.

The Knicks made the deepest playoff run – eliminating the 76ers in six competitive games in the first round before falling to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Magic’s first playoff appearance in four years ended with a seven-game series loss to the Cavaliers in the first round.

The Knicks (3-1) also made the deepest run in the inaugural In-Season Tournament, edging out Orlando (3-1) and Brooklyn (3-1) for the East Wild Card spot before being eliminated in the East quarterfinals by Milwaukee.

Here’s a look at how each of the teams in East Group A fared against one another last season:

Teamvs. Knicksvs. Sixersvs. Magicvs. Netsvs. HornetsTotalKnicksx3-11-34-04-012-4 (.750)Sixers1-3x3-02-24-010-5 (.667)Magic3-10-3x2-23-18-7 (.533)Nets0-42-22-2x1-25-10 (.333)Hornets0-40-41-32-1x3-12 (.250)

The Knicks (12-4) had the best record against their Group A opponents last season, winning the season series with Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Charlotte, but falling to Orlando.

The Sixers (10-5) swept the Magic and Hornets and split their four games with the Nets. While Philly lost the season series with New York, 3-1, Embiid only played in one of the four games.

The Magic (8-7) are the only other team to finish above .500 against their East Group A opponents. They were the only team to win the season series with New York (3-1), but were swept by Philly (0-3).

The Nets (5-10) and Hornets (3-12) both finished below .500 with Charlotte winning the head-to-head series with Brooklyn (2-1).

Teams Breakdown

New York Knicks: After consecutive second-round exits in the playoffs, the Knicks were busy in the offseason adding Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns to join the core centered around MVP candidate Jalen Brunson. Will the influx of talent be enough to push the Knicks to greater postseason heights?Philadelphia 76ers: A Joel Embiid knee injury derailed Philly’s season, resulting in a first-round playoff exit. In the offseason, the Sixers added All-Star free agent Paul George to team with Embiid and rising star Tyrese Maxey, solidifying Philly’s spot in the top tier in the East.Orlando Magic: Led by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, the young Magic are coming off their best season (47-35) in over a decade. The continued development of their rising stars, along with the offseason addition of two-time champ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, has Orlando seeking 50+ wins and a deeper playoff run.Brooklyn Nets: The Nets enter the 2024-25 season with a new coach in Jordi Fernandez and a focus on developing young talent, particularly after trading Mikal Bridges to the Knicks for future draft assets. Two key questions: what will Brooklyn get from Ben Simmons this season? And can Cam Thomas win the scoring title?Charlotte Hornets: The Hornets also enter the season with a new coach in Charles Lee (who won titles as an assistant with the Bucks and Celtics). All-Star LaMelo Ball – who is healthy after missing 60 games last season – leads a roster stocked with young talent.

Five Games To Watch

Knicks at Sixers, Nov. 12 (7:30 ET, TNT): The Group Play opener for both teams is a rematch of the hard fought first-round playoff series won by New York in six games. How close was that series? New York outscored Philly by just a single point over the six games combined (650-649).

Sixers at Magic, Nov. 15 (7 ET, NBA League Pass): Philly swept the season series with Orlando a year ago, winning the three games by an average of 15.7 points. As the Magic look to take their next step toward being a contender in the East, facing a perennial playoff team like Philly with seven straight postseason appearances is a good early test. 

Nets at Knicks, Nov. 15 (7:30 ET, NBA League Pass): The Battle of the Boroughs adds an extra layer of intrigue this season as the Nets and Knicks executed their first trade between the neighboring teams in over four decades when Brooklyn sent Bridges over the bridge to Manhattan to join the Knicks (and his former Villanova teammates).

Knicks at Hornets, Nov. 29 (12 ET, NBA TV): A clash of All-Star point guards as LaMelo Ball and the Hornets host Brunson and the Knicks in an NBA TV matinee. In his two games against NY, Ball averaged 33 points and six 3-pointers per game on 57.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Antoher player to watch is Towns, who scored a career-best 62 points the last time he faced the Hornets (as a member of the Wolves back in January).

Magic at Knicks, Dec. 3 (7:30 ET, TNT): The Knicks won the season series with every team in East Group A with the exception of one – the Magic, who went 3-1 against New York last season. Orlando’s defense held the Knicks to 100 points per game (12.8 ppg below their season average) and got a combined 49 points per game from Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Can the Magic repeat that formula in 2024-25 against the new-look Knicks?

Prediction

The winner of this group may come down to which team can integrate its new players fastest between the Knicks (adding KAT and Bridges, losing Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and Isaiah Hartenstein) and the Sixers (adding six new players headlined by George and Caleb Martin).

If the Knicks and Sixers have some ups and downs while finding the right lineups and optimal rotations, the Magic could swoop in and make a run for the group. The Nets and Hornets will likely play the role of potential spoiler when facing the Playoff teams in this group.

I’ll go the opposite way of their razor-thin margin in the Playoffs and take the Sixers to win the group over the Knicks, who will be in wild card contention for the second straight in-season competition.