I think master's vs doctorate likely depends on the field. There is a long history of STEM doctorate programs having a courtesy master's thrown in somewhere around when you pass your PhD qualifying exams, so intentionally pursuing a master's in its own right is kind of a waste of time, if your long-term goal is a doctorate (unless there are other life circumstances that make the logistics of that impractical). The exception to this is 5-year combined bachelor's/master's programs (which aren't standalone master's either, of course).
