Emirates NBA Cup 2024: East Group B Preview and Predictions

The Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks will face off once again in an exciting match during Group Play of the Emirates NBA Cup, adding another chapter to their fierce rivalry that has been brewing since their matchups in both the In-Season Tournament semifinals and the Playoffs earlier this season.

They lead East Group B, which also includes a third playoff team in the Miami Heat, who emerged from the Play-In Tournament for the second straight season. Yet Boston quickly bested them in the first round, leaving Miami unable to match a 2023 Finals run.

Rounding out the group is a pair of lottery teams in Toronto and Detroit, who finished 12th and 15th in the East, respectively, and are looking to build around young, emerging talent.

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

Teamvs. Pacersvs. Heatvs. Bucksvs. Raptorsvs. PistonsTotalPacersx2-14-12-24-012-4 (.750)Heat1-2x1-23-14-0>9-5 (.643)Bucks1-42-1x1-24-08-7 (.533)Raptors2-21-32-1x1-26-8 (.429)Pistons0-40-40-42-1x2-13 (.133)

A year ago, the Bucks and Pacers won their respective groups to reach the Knockouts, then won their quarterfinal matchups to set up a semifinal showdown in Las Vegas. Led by Tyrese Haliburton’s breakout run, the Pacers defeated the Bucks to earn a spot in the championship game.

The Pacers not only ended Milwaukee’s hopes of winning the Cup, they won the regular season series 4-1 and eliminated the Bucks (who were without Giannis Antetokounmpo) in the first round of the playoffs, 4-2.

Indiana went 12-4 against the other four teams in this group a season ago, winning the season series with the Bucks, Heat and Pistons, while splitting with the Raptors.

Miami had the second-best record among the group at 9-5, with seven of their nine wins coming against the two lottery teams, though they lost both series against the other two playoff teams.

Milwaukee dropped series to both the Pacers and Raptors as they finished just a game above .500 against their Group B opponents, while Toronto (6-8) and Detroit (2-13) both finished below .500.

Teams Breakdown

Milwaukee Bucks: It’s Year 2 of the Giannis Antetokounmpo-Damian Lillard partnership and the first full season under head coach Doc Rivers, who came on board midway through last season. Milwaukee is three years removed from its 2021 championship and is coming off back-to-back first round playoff exits. Can the Bucks make another title run during this window?Indiana Pacers: The highest-scoring offense the NBA has seen in over four decades fueled the Pacers to a 47-win season and an Eastern Conference Finals appearance. After being a fun, surprise story last season, the Pacers won’t sneak up on anyone in 2024-25.Miami Heat: After making the Finals for a second time in four years in 2023, the Heat were stifled last season by injuries to Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro. The core of the team remains intact, with Bam Adebayo signing an extension in the offseason.Toronto Raptors: Last season, the Raptors rebuilt their roster through two major trades – sending OG Anunoby to New York and Pascal Siakam to the Pacers. The new-look roster – centered around a core of Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett – will play its first full season together in 2024-25.Detroit Pistons: Already loaded with young talent – top five picks in each of the past four seasons led by 2021 No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham – the Pistons added some veterans in Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley as they get set for the debut season of new coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

Five Games To Watch

Heat at Pistons, Nov. 12 (7 ET, League Pass): The last time these teams met, Bam Adebayo hit a game-winning buzzer-beater from 3 to lift the Heat to a 104-101 win and season series sweep. It was just the 12th 3-pointer of Adebayo’s seven-year career, but could portend an extension of his range in 2024-25.

Heat at Pacers, Nov. 15 (7 ET, League Pass): Last season, Indy and Miami were part of a three-team battle for the final guaranteed playoff spot in the East last spring, with a two-point Pacers win over the Heat on April 7 helping Indy secure that No. 6 seed . This is the first of a two-game set over three days between these teams in Indiana, but the only one that counts toward the Cup.

Pacers at Bucks, Nov. 22 (7:30 ET, ESPN): The Pacers ended the Bucks’ hopes to play for the inaugural NBA Cup, then ended their 2023-24 season in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. To say the Bucks will be motivated for their first chance to face the Pacers this season is an understatement.

Bucks at Heat, Nov 26 (7:30 ET, TNT): From 2020-23, either the Heat (’20, ’23) or Bucks (’21) reached the NBA Finals three times in four years. Each of those trips to the Finals, included beating the other team along the way – either in the East Semis (’20) or the first round (’21, ’23). These teams already have so much playoff history and now we get to add NBA Cup competition into the mix.

Pacers at Raptors, Dec. 3 (7:30 ET, League Pass): One of Pascal Siakam’s best games of the season (36 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast) came on Nov. 22, 2023 when he led the Raptors over the Pacers. Less than two months later, he was traded to Indiana, helping lift the Pacers to their best season in a decade, including two wins back in Toronto, where this Group Play game will be played.

Prediction

The Pacers and Bucks delivered the drama all last season – from Indiana knocking the Bucks out of the In-Season Tournament and Playoffs, to Tyrese Haliburton stealing Damian Lillard’s Dame Time celebration after hitting a dagger 3, to Giannis Antetokounmpo dropping a career-best 64 points on the Pacers leading to a dustup over who had claim to the game ball – and that budding rivalry will be renewed in Group Play of the Emirates NBA Cup.

After Indiana ended Milwaukee’s run, I see the Bucks winning East Group B and advancing to the Knockout Rounds. The Pacers will be in the mix for a wild card, which could lead to another single-elimination matchup, adding even more juice to this rivalry.