Which teams are close to advancing to the NBA Cup quarterfinals? Tuesday’s slate of games gave clarity to a few teams on their odds of making the knockout round.
The Houston Rockets (3-0) will move on as West Group A winners after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in an 117-110 overtime thriller. The Rockets are the second team to book their spot for the quarterfinals after the Golden State Warriors won West Group C last week.
In West Group B, the Phoenix Suns dominated the Los Angeles Lakers 127-100 in a blowout win that could have potential implications since point differential in NBA Cup games serves as the first tiebreaker (after head-to-head record in group play). In the group’s other game, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Utah Jazz to set up a pivotal clash with the Suns next week.
Earlier Tuesday, the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Miami Heat 106-103 to remain undefeated in East Group B. Meanwhile, the Washington Wizards were officially eliminated from the tournament after losing to the Chicago Bulls 127-108 in an East Group C game.
Here’s what’s at stake in each of the six groups, as well as where each of them stand overall:
East Group A
There were no games Tuesday but there are two clear leaders, with the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks tied atop the group at 2-0.
The group picks back up Friday when Orlando visits the Brooklyn Nets and New York visits the Charlotte Hornets. The group’s other team, the Philadelphia 76ers, have slim hopes of advancing.
The group winner will be decided next week, when Orlando visits New York, with the loser needing a wild-card spot.
East Group B
With the Milwaukee Bucks’ win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday, the group winner will be decided when the Bucks visit the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 3.
The Toronto Raptors are officially eliminated and the Indiana Pacers have a slim shot at advancing.
East Group C
The Chicago Bulls eliminated the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, but there won’t be much clarity until Friday’s games, when the Boston Celtics are in Chicago and the Atlanta Hawks host the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Chicago’s win on Tuesday means the Bulls, Cavs and Hawks could potentially win the group, depending on how those two Friday games shake out.
West Group A
The Houston Rockets are through as group winners after the overtime win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The LA Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers — both of which were off Tuesday night — are still in the mix, while the Sacramento Kings are probably out.
West Group B
The Los Angeles Lakers put themselves in a precarious position after losing big against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. The Lakers are now 2-1 in the group, with one game left against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
The San Antonio Spurs beat the Utah Jazz (who are now eliminated), which gives them a chance to advance if they can follow it up with another win against Phoenix next week.
West Group C
Golden State already has clinched Group C, and the New Orleans Pelicans have been eliminated. With a plus-41 point differential, the Dallas Mavericks have a strong chance of advancing as the West wild card if they can win their final group game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 3. The Denver Nuggets, who host the Warriors on Dec. 3, have a slim chance of advancing.
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Takeaways | Schedule | FAQ
TAKEAWAYS FROM TUESDAY’S GAMES
Suns wallop Lakers to create wide-open race
With Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant back in the lineup, the Phoenix Suns looked like championship contenders in a 127-100 blowout of the reeling Los Angeles Lakers, outscoring the Lakers 36-18 in the third quarter and never looking back. Phoenix’s Big Three of Beal, Durant and Devin Booker combined for 72 points on 29-of-49 shooting.
The Suns moved into a three-way tie with the Lakers — who suffered their first loss in two seasons of NBA Cup play after winning the inaugural tournament — and San Antonio Spurs (winners over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday) atop Group B. With the Oklahoma City Thunder also in the mix, this is the most wide-open group with four of the five teams having one loss. — Kevin Pelton
Rockets’ win over Wolves helps out Mavs
The Houston Rockets clinched the West Group A title by withstanding a Minnesota Timberwolves’ rally and rolling in overtime to pull out a 117-111 road win.
Houston center Alperen Sengun’s fingerprints were all over the victory. He recorded his seventh career triple-double — and third this season — with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
He also had quite a memorable celebration after hitting a spinning jump hook over four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert with 54 seconds left. Sengun strutted toward midcourt and threw down an emphatic “too small” gesture.
It was the Wolves’ second loss in NBA cup action, meaning Minnesota’s chances of advancing are slim to none. More importantly, it was the Timberwolves’ sixth loss in their past eight games. — Tim MacMahon
The other winner of the Rockets winning Group A is the Dallas Mavericks. With the Golden State Warriors moving on as Group C winners, the second-place Mavs are now in pole position for the West’s wild-card spot as long as they can beat Memphis at home on Dec. 3 in their final group game.
Dallas has a plus-41 differential thanks to its blowout win over the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans, and Houston was the only other West team better than plus-12 coming into Tuesday’s games. — Pelton
Bucks stay hot behind Dame as Giannis sits
No Giannis Antetokounmpo? No problem for the Milwaukee Bucks who took another step toward returning to the knockout round of the NBA Cup.
The Miami Heat made them work for it, coming all the way back from 22 points down to tie the score in Tuesday’s East Group B game in the fourth quarter, but the Bucks escaped with a 106-103 victory.
Milwaukee extended its winning streak to five games and has won seven of its past eight games to improve to 9-9, despite starting the season 2-8. With Antetokounmpo sitting out because of a pregame knee issue, the Bucks won their first game of the season without their star forward thanks to 37 points and 12 assists from fellow All-Star Damian Lillard.
With the victory, the Bucks have put themselves in a strong position to advance in NBA Cup East Group B. The Bucks (3-0) and Detroit Pistons (2-0) remain unbeaten in the group heading into their showdown Dec. 3 in Detroit. The loser could potentially still be in the mix for the East’s wild-card spot, but that would depend on results in other games. — Jamal Collier
2024 Emirates NBA Cup schedule
All times ET
Nov. 29
Knicks at Hornets, noon (NBA TV)
Cavaliers at Hawks, 2:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
Pelicans at Grizzlies, 5 p.m. (NBA TV)
Clippers at Timberwolves, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Magic at Nets, 7:30 p.m.
Pistons at Pacers, 8 p.m.
Raptors at Heat, 8 p.m.
Celtics at Bulls, 8 p.m.
Thunder at Lakers, 10 p.m. (ESPN)
Kings at Trail Blazers, 10 p.m.
Dec. 3
76ers at Magic, 7 p.m.
Wizards at Cavaliers, 7 p.m.
Bucks at Pistons, 7 p.m.
Magic at Knicks, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
Pacers at Raptors, 7:30 p.m.
Jazz at Thunder, 8 p.m.
Grizzlies at Mavericks, 8:30 p.m.
Spurs at Suns, 9 p.m.
Warriors at Nuggets, 10 p.m. (TNT)
Rockets at Kings, 10 p.m.
Trail Blazers at Clippers, 10:30 p.m.
Dec. 10 and 11
Quarterfinals
Dec. 14
Semifinals 1, 4:30 p.m. (TNT)
Semifinals 2, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
Dec. 17
Championship, 8:30 p.m. (ABC)
Previous results
Nov. 12
Hawks 117, Celtics 116
Magic 114, Hornets 89
Pistons 123, Heat 121 (OT)
Knicks 111, 76ers 99
Bucks 99, Raptors 85
Suns 120, Jazz 112
Trail Blazers 122, Timberwolves 108
Warriors 120, Mavericks 117
Nov. 15
Heat 124, Pacers 111
Magic 98, 76ers 86
Pistons 99, Raptors 95
Lakers 120, Spurs 115
Hawks 129, Wizards 117
Cavaliers 144, Bulls 126
Pelicans 101, Nuggets 94
Knicks 124, Nets 122
Rockets 125, Clippers 104
Thunder 99, Suns 83
Timberwolves 130, Kings 126 (OT)
Warriors 123, Grizzlies 118
Nov. 19
Celtics 120, Cavaliers 117
Nets 116, Hornets 115
Nuggets 122, Grizzlies 110
Mavericks 132, Pelicans 91
Spurs 110, Thunder 110
Lakers 124, Jazz 118
Nov. 22
76ers 113, Nets 98
Celtics 108, Wizards 96
Warriors 112, Pelicans 108
Bucks 129, Pacers 117
Bulls 136, Hawks 122
Rockets 116, Trail Blazers 88
Mavericks 123, Nuggets 120
Clippers 108, Kings 88
Nov. 26
Bulls 127, Wizards 108
Bucks 106, Heat 103
Rockets 117, Timberwolves 111 (OT)
Spurs 128, Jazz 115
Suns 127, Lakers 100
FAQ (by Tim Bontemps)
The NBA unveiled the six groups for the second edition of its in-season tournament — now called the Emirates NBA Cup. Here’s a look at everything you’ll need to know about the return of the competition.
What is the format?
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has had a long-standing fascination with European soccer. The idea for having an in-season cup competition within the NBA schedule comes from soccer leagues having both a regular-season title, won by the team with the most points over the full year, and a separate tournament (or, in some leagues, multiple tournaments) that runs concurrently with the league season.
The 2024 Emirates NBA Cup
What to know about the NBA’s in-season tournament, including the Dec. 17 final in Las Vegas.
In England, for example, there are the various divisions — led by the Premier League — and also the FA Cup competition. But unlike those European leagues, which play their cup competitions outside of their league schedules, the NBA Cup is built into the regular-season slate.
The 30 NBA teams were split into six five-team groups — three featuring Eastern Conference teams, and three comprising teams from the West — with each team then playing one game against the other four in their group. The winner of each group, plus the team with the best record among the nongroup winners, will then advance to the knockout rounds.
How will this impact the regular-season schedule and standings?
Typically, the NBA sends out a full 82-game schedule in mid-August. Now, though, the league sends out only 80 games and leaves a gap for roughly a week to fill in later, depending on how the group stage of the NBA Cup plays out.
The teams that reach the NBA Cup’s finale will actually play 83 games — though the championship game won’t count toward the standings or any statistical markers. Those that lose in the semifinals will have played their full 82-game schedule and won’t need anything added.
The two teams from both the East and West that lose in the quarterfinals will play their 82nd game against one another on one of four dates: Dec. 12, 13, 15 or 16. Meanwhile, the 22 teams that fail to qualify for the knockout rounds will have their final two games scheduled — one at home and one on the road — on Dec. 12 or 13 and 15 or 16 against others eliminated in the group stage.
Why does the NBA Cup include regular-season games?
Before its launch, one of the main questions surrounding the in-season tournament was why any team would be incentivized to compete in it. By making every game part of the season — and, being in-conference, potentially important from a playoff-tiebreaker standpoint — the NBA ensured teams will be motivated.
If this had been set up like the cup tournaments in European soccer, there would have been nothing stopping NBA teams from opting out, literally or figuratively — sitting their top players for extra rest.
What teams make up the groups?
To create the groups, the NBA put all 15 teams in each conference into five pots, separated by their finish in last season’s standings. Pot 1 included the teams that finished 1-3 in regular-season record, teams 4-6 went into Pot 2, teams 7-9 into Pot 3, teams 10-12 into Pot 4 and teams 13-15 into Pot 5.
As a result, the following groups were drawn:
East A: New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets
East B: Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons
East C: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards
West A: Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers
West B: Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs
West C: Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies
Does one group stand out the most from the others?
Yes, there is an obvious one: West Group C, featuring the Nuggets, Mavericks, Pelicans, Warriors and Grizzlies.
Because of how the draw is performed, Golden State and Memphis, which dealt with a combination of suspensions and injuries, are significantly stronger than you would anticipate teams in the bottom two pots to be.
But in addition to featuring the reigning MVP in Nikola Jokic and Zion Williamson, the group also could offer the first meeting between Klay Thompson and his former team after the guard signed with Dallas following 13 seasons with Golden State.
What do players get for winning?
Last year, the players on the winning team received $500,000 each, while those on the runners-up got $200,000. The losing players of the semifinals each got $100,000, and those ousted in the quarterfinals each got $50,000.
This year, the prizes will be slightly higher because of negotiated raises year over year to keep pace with increases in the salary cap and basketball related income as part of the most recent collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association.
Will anyone earn individual honors for their play in NBA Cup games?
There will be an MVP award, as well as an all-tournament team.
Will this have any impact on the playoffs?
Not beyond the games counting in the regular-season standings (and toward tiebreakers). Though there was debate among league insiders about guaranteeing a playoff berth for winning the tournament, ultimately that idea (or any other to further incentivize teams) was not enacted.
The debate continued after last year’s in-season tournament winner, the Lakers, wound up in the play-in tournament, while the runner-up, the Pacers, narrowly avoided landing in it. But, in the end, the only playoff impact comes from the wins and losses accrued throughout the tournament.
Why is it called the Emirates NBA Cup?
The league struck a sponsorship deal with Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, to sponsor the tournament after its initial run. The NBA said last year that it went with the most basic titles for both the tournament and its trophy — the “in-season tournament” and “NBA Cup” — as a way to introduce the concept to fans.
However, using such nondescript names had another clear advantage: It gave the league a blank slate in case the tournament and cup became properties it ended up selling to a sponsor, and avoided the complications that could arise by naming them after someone (for example, the late NBA commissioner David Stern, one possibility that had been floated before the tournament was officially unveiled).