The NBA Cup group stage games continued Friday with the Golden State Warriors clinching their spot for the in-season tournament's knockout round.
With a 112-108 win over the eliminated New Orleans Pelicans (1-2), the Warriors are now 3-0 in West Group C. Andrew Wiggins scored 30 points with Stephen Curry contributing 19 in the victory at Smoothie King Center.
But the group's drama was in the Dallas Mavericks holding off the Denver Nuggets 123-120 in thrilling fashion. The win keeps the Mavs -- now at 2-1 in group play -- alive of advancing as a wild-card team while putting the Nuggets (1-2) on the brink of elimination.
The Boston Celtics improved to 2-1 in East Group C after defeating the Washington Wizards 108-96 while the Chicago Bulls (1-1) won their first group match over the Atlanta Hawks 136-122. The Celtics and Hawks (2-1) remain in control of their fates to advance to the next round.
The Philadelphia 76ers, who are still without All-Star duo Joel Embiid and Paul George, defeated the Brooklyn Nets 113-98 in East Group A action. The Nets (1-2) and the Sixers (1-2) will need some help to leap over co-leaders leaders Orlando Magic and New York Knicks, who both stand at 2-0. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks (2-0) continue to get their season back on track after beating the slumping Indiana Pacers 129-117. That loss now drops the Pacers to 0-2 in East Group B play.
In other West action, the Houston Rockets (2-0) cruised to a 116-88 rout over the Portland Trail Blazers (1-1) to keep control of West Group A. In the same group, the Sacramento Kings fell to the LA Clippers 104-88. That result puts the Kings at 0-2, with the Clippers now at 1-1.
Here's what stood to our NBA insiders from Friday's action.
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Takeaways | Schedule | FAQ
Mavs' tourney hopes stay alive with Nuggets on brink
The Mavericks' 24-point lead in the second half didn't survive Friday night, but their hopes of making the trip to Las Vegas next month remain very much alive.
The Mavs responded to the Nuggets' rally with a 9-0 run to regain the lead in the final minutes of a 123-120 road win.
Despite a triple-double (33 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists) from Nikola Jokic after missing three games due to personal reasons, the loss likely doomed the Nuggets' chances of advancing. The outcome clinched the Group C title for the Warriors (3-0), but the Mavs (2-1) are well-positioned to claim the Western Conference's wild card if they can finish group play with a win over the Memphis Grizzlies (0-2). With Denver (1-2) likely eliminated, Dallas has the best point differential (plus-41) of the West's one-loss teams.
It marked the second time in six days that the Mavs beat a West contender despite missing superstar Luka Doncic, who sat out Sunday's victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a right knee contusion and will miss at least a week with a right wrist sprain.
A pair of forwards added to the roster in the past two transaction cycles filled the scoring void created by Doncic's absence. Naji Marshall led the Mavs with a career-high 26 points off the bench, and P.J. Washington scored seven of his 22 points in the game-deciding run down the stretch. -- Tim MacMahon
Celtics win, Hawks loss causes chaos
The Celtics and Hawks are still fighting for a spot to advance to the NBA Cup quarterfinals with both teams aiming to win the group.
Jaylen Brown had 31 points to lead the Celtics past the Wizards 108-96 and improve to 2-1 in the East Group C standings, putting them in position to potentially win the group with a victory over the Bulls next Friday.
After losing to the Bulls (1-1) on Friday, the Hawks (2-1) are still in the hunt to advance to the quarterfinals but face a key test next week when the Cleveland Cavaliers (1-1) come to State Farm Arena.
If Boston and Cleveland both win, Boston will clinch the group and move onto the quarterfinals. If Boston and Atlanta win, however, the Hawks will win the group by virtue of its win in Boston earlier this month.
The second team in either scenario will then have a chance to advance as the wild-card recipient, depending on point differential. -- Tim Bontemps
Bucks gaining traction as Pacers continue to slip
The results are finally starting to show for the Milwaukee Bucks, who despite a slow start to the season, continued to express confidence on the court.
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded a triple double with 37 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the Bucks to a 129-117 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Milwaukee has won three games in a row and five of its past six games and improves to 2-0 in NBA Cup group play.
Yet, as the Bucks have trended upward this season, the Pacers have been going the other way. They've dropped three straight games, all by double figures, and lost five of their past six games. With an 0-2 start in group play, the Pacers likely won't get a chance to make it back to Las Vegas for a second straight season.
Friday's game in Milwaukee was the latest chapter in the budding rivalry that took off during last season's in-season tournament, which included five regular-season matchups and a first-round playoff series. Last season, Indiana went 8-3 in its games against the Bucks, helping fuel its run to the inaugural NBA Cup final and Eastern Conference finals. -- Jamal Collier
2024 Emirates NBA Cup schedule
All times Eastern
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 at Wizards, 7 p.m.
Bucks at Heat, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
Rockets at Timberwolves, 8 p.m.
Spurs at Jazz, 9 p.m.
Lakers at Suns, 10 p.m. (TNT)
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.
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
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).