The NBA Cup has run through its group stage. Now, only eight teams remain, and we're bursting into the quarterfinals to determine the third annual in-season tournament winner.

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.

Dec. 9 How they got here: Orlando clinched East Group B and the No. 1 overall seed with a win over Detroit on Friday. That Pistons loss, plus a Cavaliers loss, opened the door and Miami walked through it to advance as the Wild Card with a 3-1 record.

The Golden State Warriors got two regular-season games added to their December schedule after the results of the inaugural Emirates NBA Cup.

The NBA knows you can't get too much of a good thing. Shortly after the Pacers beat the Washington Wizards 119-86 in a matchup of the teams with the two worst records in the league, it was announced the teams will play again in Indianapolis on Dec. 14 at 3 p.m.

The NBA Cup is entering its knockout stages. Here's what to know for the eight remaining teams vying to get to Las Vegas.

WASHINGTON – The Afghan man accused of shooting two National Guard soldiers blocks from the White House last week served with CIA-backed "zero units" in Afghanistan, paramilitary groups that carried out secret raids against suspected terrorists and U.S. enemies as part of the CIA's counterterrorism program.

It’s become increasingly difficult to justify the Cup's impact when weighed against the early-season impacts on teams to accommodate it.