Tim Bontemps, ESPN
Which teams are close to advancing to the NBA Cup quarterfinals? Friday’s slate should give clarity on who will be advancing to the knockout round.
As winners of their respective groups, the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors are the only teams entering Friday who have clinched spots. Four other teams — the New Orleans Pelicans, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz — are officially eliminated.
That means four group winners (one in the West, three in the East), as well as one wild-card team from each conference, have yet to be decided. And remember, point differential in NBA Cup games matters, as it serves as the first tiebreaker (after head-to-head record in group play).
Here’s what’s at stake in each of the six groups, as well as where each of them stand overall:
East Group A
The Orlando Magic visit the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks are at the Charlotte Hornets Friday.
No matter what happens in those games, the winner of next Tuesday’s game between the Magic and Knicks will determine the group winner.
Both winning Friday, however, would give the loser of that game at Madison Square Garden solid positioning to potentially claim the wild card.
The Philadelphia 76ers are not in contention.
East Group B
The group will be decided Tuesday when the Milwaukee Bucks visit the Detroit Pistons.
Also like Group A scenarios, Detroit can position itself to try to get the wild card with a win at the Indiana Pacers on Friday.
Not much hope for the Miami Heat after their loss to the Bucks earlier this week. The Raptors are officially out.
East Group C
Lots to be decided on Friday, with the Boston Celtics at the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks. Here are the various ways it can go:
Boston and Cleveland win: Boston wins the group, Cleveland can potentially be the wild card with a win Tuesday at home against the eliminated Wizards.
Boston and Atlanta win: Atlanta wins the group, and Boston can potentially be the wild card.
Chicago and Cleveland win: Cleveland takes the group with a win over Washington on Tuesday, while Chicago does if the Cavs lose.
Chicago and Atlanta win: Chicago wins the group, and Atlanta can potentially be the wild card.
West Group A
The Rockets have clinched the group, but several teams are in contention for the wild card.
If the LA Clippers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Sacramento Kings Friday, those two winners will play for a chance at a wild card spot next Tuesday.
The Rockets can guarantee a home quarterfinal game with a win over the Kings next Tuesday.
West Group B
The Phoenix Suns beating the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday left this group wide open.
To defend their NBA Cup title, the Lakers now have to win at home Friday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The loser will be eliminated from contention to advance.
The Suns and the San Antonio Spurs, both 2-1, play each other next Tuesday in another elimination game. The Jazz are eliminated.
West Group C
The eliminated Pelicans will face the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, but the two games left in this group that matter are both next Tuesday.
The Dallas Mavericks will host Memphis, while the Warriors head to the Denver Nuggets. Golden State has clinched the group, but needs a win to ensure it hosts a quarterfinal game.
If Dallas beats the Grizzlies, it is likely they clinch the wild card spot given their current point differential of plus-41.
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Schedule | FAQ
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.
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).