The Orlando Magic have advanced to the knockout round of the NBA Cup. Desmond Bane scored 37 points and grabbed two crucial offensive rebounds as the Magic beat the the Detroit Pistons 112-109 on Friday night.

The 19-1 Thunder are currently the favorites to win the 2025 NBA Cup (-125 at FanDuel ). The Bucks won the competition last year, and the Lakers won the initial version in 2023. Tuesday, Dec. 9: Heat at Magic, 6 p.m. ET | Knicks at Raptors, 8:30 p.m. ET

For the first time since the event started three years ago, the Heat have qualified for the knockout round of the NBA Cup, the league’s in-season tournament.

The NBA Cup has been a beautiful addition to the beginning of the NBA season and the Magic have found great success in it so far this season. The Magic are 3-0

The Magic host the Bulls, Spurs and Heat next week in three games at Kia Center that could determine whether or not Orlando’s turnaround is legit.

The Portland Trail Blazers’ all-defensive wing pursues screens aggressively. If he figures a player is about to move, he beelines into the guy. But for the first time, a foul-drawing hound cannot be accused of disintegrating just to sell calls.

Franz Wagner fell in love with basketball as a kid in Germany when he went with his older brother, Moritz, to watch an under-19 game in Berlin.