Nightly Pulse: Exciting NBA Updates & Highlights from Dec. 10

Tonight is do or die for all four teams on the line.

Emirates NBA Cup Quarterfinals play gets underway

East: (4) Magic vs. (1) Bucks –

7 ET Live on TNT

West: (4) Mavericks vs (1) Thunder –

9:30 ET Live on TNT

Starting5️⃣’s are live

The Bucks and Magic both have released their starting fives and there should be no surprises here.

️Putting in work️

Giannis Antetokounmpo gets in his pregame routine ahead of a showdown with the Magic for the right to advance in the Emirates NBA Cup.

Lock down defense

Jalen Suggs may be one of the most improved players in the league this season, and one of the reasons is his consistently improving defense. He’ll be key tonight in any potential Orlando victory. Check out some of his most impressive plays on that end of the floor so far this year.

⛔Milwaukee, block city⛔

When the Bucks take the floor tonight, the NBA’s No. 4 man in blocks per game, Brook Lopez will be there. Check out some of his best rejections from this season.

⏳Last chance for brackets⏳

Get your brackets in before the Knockout Rounds begin.

Key stories for tonight

Orlando vs. Milwaukee

Orlando and Milwaukee will be meeting for the first time this season, with the winner advancing to Las Vegas and set to square off against the victor of the Knicks and Hawks Quarterfinal matchup taking place Wednesday. These two teams enter the Knockout rounds as two of the hottest in the NBA, with each posting 8-2 records in their last 10 games. The stark contrast between these squads is that the Bucks recently returned one of their premier players, Khris Middleton, and the Magic have lost another, Franz Wagner, who joins Paolo Banchero on the sidelines due to oblique injuries. 

Despite Wagner’s absence, Orlando was able to secure a win over the Suns on Sunday and received key contributions from Cole Anthony and Goga Bitadze in the process. Players like them will need to step up and their top-tier defense will need to shine to slow down Milwaukee’s offensive firepower backed by Giannis

Antetokounmpo

, Damian Lillard, and Middleton. 

Dallas vs. Oklahoma City

Speaking of hot teams, the Mavericks are scorching, and currently carrying a league-best seven-game win streak into this evening. When these two teams met Nov. 17, it was the Luka Dončić-less Dallas squad coming out on top 121-119. However, a substantial part of their victory came from their domination of the boards, which led to 24 second-chance points. With Isiah Hartenstein now healthy, the Thunder should be better equipped to match the Mavericks’ interior size and limit their allowance of offensive rebounds. 

Another key factor for the Thunder will be their top-ranked defense. The efforts of Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, and Cason Wallace will be vital in trying to prevent Dončić and Kyrie Irving from truly taking over the game, and outshining Oklahoma City’s own dynamic duo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. This ultimately should be a closely contested battle likely to come down to the wire, with the winner advancing to Las Vegas to take on the victor of the Rockets and Warriors Quarterfinal game on Wednesday.