And then … there were eight.

THE LINEUP 🏀

1. Knockout Rounds set 💥
2. How it happened: West 🍿
3. How it happened: East 🔥
4. Must see from Tuesday 👀
5. The rise of Sengun 🚀

📺 Clippers-Kings: 10 ET, NBA TV

📲 6 more games on the NBA App

🏆 In-Season Tournament Tracker

1. BRACKET: KNOCKOUT ROUNDS SET

What a night.

• It started with 16 teams in contention for the final six (of eight) spots in the Knockout Rounds
• Eight games — many happening simultaneously, all with clinching, elimination and tiebreaker implications — were on the schedule
• When the dust cleared, the Knockout Rounds stage was set, with the single-elimination portion of the inaugural In-Season Tournament beginning Monday on TNT

Quarterfinals: Dec. 4 and 5

Monday, Dec. 4 on TNT

• (3) Celtics at (2) Pacers, 7:30 ET
• (3) Pelicans at (2) Kings, 10 ET

Tuesday, Dec. 5 on TNT

• (4) Knicks at (1) Bucks, 7:30 ET
• (4) Suns at (1) Lakers, 10 ET

Semifinals: Dec. 7 in Las Vegas

• The winners of each conference quarterfinal will meet in the semifinals for a chance to compete for the inaugural NBA Cup

Championship: Dec. 9 in Las Vegas

• The first NBA In-Season Tournament champion will be crowned

2. HOW WE GOT HERE: WESTERN CONFERENCE

👑 Kings 124, Warriors 123
🏆 SAC clinches group, GSW eliminated
🏆 West Group C
🏀 Recap | SAC 4-0, GSW 2-2

• What happened: Midway through the first half, the Wolves defeated the Thunder to finalize the stakes for this game. The Warriors had to win by 12+ points to clinch the group, otherwise, the Kings would advance
• Warriors build lead: The Wolves-Thunder game ended as the Warriors were building a 24-point first-half lead, looking to not just win Group C but improve to 3-0 against the Kings this season.
• Kings rally: If last year’s seven-game series taught us anything, it’s that games between these rivals have a good chance to come down to the wire. This one was no exception.
• Monk for the win: Malik Monk hit a tough fadeaway bank shot against great defense by Andrew Wiggins to put the Kings up with 7.4 seconds left. With no timeouts, the Warriors got the ball to Curry, who launched a 35-footer that just missed off the iron to seal the game – and the group – for the Kings. Watch the entire final 5:12
• What it means: Sacramento clinched Group C, will host New Orleans in the Knockouts on Monday. The 4-0 Lakers (+74) earned the No. 1 seed over the 4-0 Kings (+30) by having the better point differential.

🐴 Mavericks 121, Rockets 115
🏆 Both teams eliminated
🏆 West Group B
🏀 Recap | DAL 2-2, HOU 2-2

• What happened: Luka Doncic (41 pts, 9 reb, 9 ast) posted his third 40+ point game of the season — tied with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for most in the NBA — as the Mavs spoiled Houston’s hopes of reaching the Knockout Round.
• Legendary reaction: Alperen Sengun (31 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast) got a shoutout from Dirk Nowitzki on the broadcast after nailing Dirk’s signature one-legged fadeaway (more on Sengun in section 5 ⬇️).
• What it means: A win would have clinched Group B for Houston, but the Rockets loss means New Orleans (3-1) clinched the group and advanced.

🐺 Wolves 106, Thunder 103
🏆 Both teams eliminated
🏆 West Group C
🏀 Recap | MIN 3-1, OKC 1-3

• What happened: Despite losing Anthony Edwards after a hard fall in the third, the Wolves got 17 points apiece from Rudy Gobert and Troy Brown Jr. as Minnesota held off OKC despite 32 points from Gilgeous-Alexander. Watch the final 5:24
• What it means: The 3-1 Wolves improved their point differential by just three points to finish even (+0) in Group Play. The 3-1 Suns (+34) earned the West Wild Card with the superior point differential tiebreaker.

3. HOW WE GOT HERE: EASTERN CONFERENCE

🦌 Bucks 131, Heat 124
🏆 MIL clinch group, MIA eliminated
🏆 East Group B
🏀 Recap | MIL 4-0, MIA 2-2

• What happened: Antetokounmpo (33) and Damian Lillard (32) each scored 30+ points for the third straight game as the Bucks outlasted the Heat to finish Group Play undefeated and take the No. 1 seed.
• Rare company: Antetkounmpo and Lillard are just the third pair of teammates in the last 40 years to each score 30+ in three straight games, joining Golden State’s Corey Maggette and Monta Ellis (2010) and San Antonio’s George Gervin and Mike Mitchell (1984).
• Clutch Bucks: Milwaukee improved to 9-2 in games featuring clutch time as this game was within five points from all the way back in the second quarter until Antetokounmpo’s dunk gave the final seven-point margin with 15 seconds left. Watch the final 4:56
• What it means: Milwaukee wins Group B and will host Wild Card winner New York in the Knockout Round.

🍀 Celtics 124, Bulls 97
🏆 BOS win group, CHI eliminated
🏆 East Group C
🏀 Recap | BOS 3-1, CHI 0-4

• What happened: Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 30 points, Jayson Tatum added 21, and the Celtics made a season-high 21 3-pointers as they cruised past Chicago.
• What it means: Boston’s 27-point win boosted its point differential (+27) above Orlando (+22) and Brooklyn (+20), who also finished 3-1 in Group C. Boston wins the group, will face Group A winner Indiana on the road in the Knockout Rounds.

🗽 Knicks 115, Hornets 91
🏆 NYK clinches Wild Card, CHA eliminated
🏆 East Group B
🏀 Recap | NYK 3-1, CHA 1-3

• What happened: Julius Randle picked a perfect time to post the first 20/20 game of his career as he finished with 25 points, 20 rebounds and five assists to lead the Knicks past the Hornets.
• What it means: The 24-point win increased New York’s Group Play point differential to +42 to clinch the East Wild Card over Cleveland (29), Orlando (22) and Brooklyn (20). The Knicks will face the top-seeded Bucks in Milwaukee in the Knockouts.

⚔️ Cavs 128, Hawks 105
🏆 Both teams eliminated
🏆 East Group A
🏀 Recap | CLE 3-1, ATL 1-3

• What happened: Donovan Mitchell exploded for 40 points, 11 boards and five assists — joining LeBron James and Campy Russell as the only Cavs ever with a 40/10/5 game — to lead Cleveland past Atlanta to finish Group Play at 3-1.
• What it means: While the 23-point win boosted Cleveland’s point differential to +29, it was not enough to catch New York (+42) for the East Wild Card.

🌃 Nets 115, Raptors 103
🏆 Both teams eliminated
🏆 East Group C
🏀 Recap | BKN 3-1, TOR 1-3

• What happened: The Nets closed the game on a 19-9 run over the final 4:15 to turn a tight game into a 12-point win. Spencer Dinwiddie (23 pts, 9 reb, 8 ast) and Mikal Bridges (22 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast) led the way for Brooklyn.
• What it means: The 12-point win boosted Brooklyn’s point differential to +20, but it was not enough to catch either Boston (+27) or Orlando (+22), who also finished 3-1 in the group, eliminating the Nets from the Knockouts.

4. WEDNESDAY MORNING MUST-SEE 👀

• Hall of Famers on the mic: Shaq and Dirk were back in Miami and Dallas, respectively, to join the broadcast calls for Heat-Bucks and Mavs-Rockets
• Best of Shaq: The kids love the Big Aristotle! Shaq reminisced on his coast-to-coast style, defined Heat Culture in three words and dropped his signature “Are you not entertained?!”
• Best of Dirk: A different type of pregame warmup for Dirk; he knew the Luka stepback was money; he loved Sengun’s Dirk fadeaway and capped it with his signature “Shut it down, let’s go home!”
• Luka HOF tributes: Luka gets the loose ball and hits the Kareem skyhook, then reacts with an MJ shrug
• Choose your favorite acrobatic finish: Is it SGA’s baseline up-and-under scoop shot against the Wolves? Or Kyrie splitting defenders for the tough reverse?
• Exclamation point: Giannis closed out Group Play in style with a two-handed throwdown
• Steph knew the stakes: Curry gathered his teammates together to emphasize the importance of point differential on Tuesday’s game: “In a game like this where the points matter…this next two minutes is huge”

5. RISE OF SENGUN ✨

We could go into how third-year center Alperen Sengun has contributed – as much as anybody – to the Rockets’ red-hot start.

We could talk about how no player in NBA history has ever averaged 20+ ppg, 9+ rpg, 5+ apg and 55+ FG% in one of their first three seasons … while Sengun’s putting up this line so far:

• 20.9 PPG
• 9.1 RPG
• 5.7 APG
• 56.3 FG%

We could talk about how Sengun dropped a season-high 31 pts in Houston’s 121-115 loss to Luka and the Mavs last night, in the Rockets’ In-Season Tournament finale.

But you’ve done a lot of reading already.

So, with the Rockets looking to go 3-0 against the Nuggets this year already (9 ET, NBA App), enjoy a highlight reel that shows why Sengun’s starting to get some big-time buzz.