With the Atlanta Hawks beating the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, the Brooklyn Nets are officially eliminated from the knockout round of the NBA Cup.

The Hawks join the Warriors and Rockets as teams that have secured spots in the NBA Cup knockout round. None of those three clubs made the quarterfinals last year in the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament. The knockout round will begin on December 10.

De'Andre Hunter scored 23 points off the bench as the Atlanta Hawks swooped for another NBA victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday -- their second in two days over

The Hawks are the first Eastern Conference team to advance to the single-elimination knockout round of the 2024 NBA Cup, according to the league.

De'Andre Hunter scored 23 points off the bench as the Atlanta Hawks beat league-leading Cleveland again on Friday to advance in the NBA Cup. The Hawks held Cavs star Donovan Mitchell to 12 points and out-scored Cleveland 39-23 in the third quarter to take control for good in the contest that was one of 10 NBA Cup group stage games scheduled on the Thanksgiving holiday Friday.