After Thanksgiving, the NBA returns with an all-day Black Friday holiday. Two-thirds of the league will be in action when the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup resumes with 10 games, starting with Knicks-Hornets at 12:00 PM ET and stretching through a tasty Thunder-Lakers matchup in the nightcap at 10:00 PM ET.
Here’s a look at what’s at stake in Friday’s 10-game NBA Cup, as well as the floor spread in each of the six groups as the tournament gets closer:
How it works: Group winners and wild cards
There are two more nights of Group Play, ending on Tuesday, December 3rd, with the top eight teams in the East and West – the winners of Groups A, B and C plus the two “wild cards” (the team from each conference with the best results in group play , which finished second in its group) — advance to the single-elimination knockout rounds.
Due to the small number of games, tiebreakers (also for the wild card) will probably come into play, and the advancing team will be decided by:
(1) mutual entry in group play;
(2) point differential without overtime in group play;
(3) total points without overtime in group play;
(4) 2023-24 regular season record;
… and finally, if all that cannot break a bond:
(5) random drawing.
The four quarter-final matches will take place on Tuesday, December 10 and Wednesday, December 11.
The four winners will advance to Las Vegas, where the semifinals will take place on Saturday, December 14. The NBA Championship Game will take place on Tuesday, December 17 at 8:30 PM ET on ABC. It will be the only game in the entire tournament that will not be counted either in the records of the participating teams in the regular season or in the statistics of their players.
The teams that don’t make it to Las Vegas won’t just be chilling at home, though. During the elimination rounds, on days when no NBA Cup games are scheduled – December 12, 13, 15 and 16 – the 22 teams that did not qualify for the elimination round will play two regular season games. The four teams that lose in the quarterfinals will each play one game against each other in the regular season.
In a group game, things go like this:
Gone until (next) November
Now up to four teams have been eliminated.
The Pelicans they were eliminated first, after losing to the two teams that led Western Group C by a margin that gives them the worst point differential in the West. The WizardsTuesday’s loss to the Bulls dropped them to 0-3 and out of contention in Eastern Group C. Ditto for Jazzwhose loss to Victor Wembanyam on Tuesday knocked Spurs out of Group B West.
And despite the fact that there was no game on Tuesday predators found themselves out of contention by virtue of the Bucks’ win over the Heat, which ensured that Toronto could finish no higher than third in Eastern Group B. It fell out on the night. Tough break, Raps.
Who sits nicely
The Warriors they were the first team to punch their ticket to the knockout round by winning West Group C.
The Rockets joined them on Tuesday, beating the Timberwolves in overtime behind huge games from Alperen Şengün and Fred VanVleet to improve to 3-0 with a West-leading +49 point differential and win the A West.
The Bucks improved to 3-0 by overcoming heat in Miami, without superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. They did not win Eastern Group B; a Pistons they are 2-0, meaning the winner of the Dec. 3 meeting between Milwaukee and Detroit will top the group. Although Cade Cunningham and Co. wins, Bucks – currently +29 point differential, second best in the East behind the A’s Magic — look to be in a strong position for a wild card spot.
Also undefeated so far: The Knicks2-0 in East Group A, with a head-to-head matchup against the Magic at Madison Square Garden to close out group play on December 3rd.
Who is still in the crosshairs?
Only four teams were eliminated and two teams advanced, meaning that there are still 24 teams left technically alive for a knockout spot.
The four aforementioned undefeated — Magic, Knicks, Bucks, Pistons — are in prime form. The Mavericks they did not win Western Group C, but at 2:1 with a difference of +41 points they are still very much alive for the wild card.
Group B of each conference is made up of three 2-1 teams Bulls, Hawks a Celts in the east; a Sun, Lakers a Spurs in the West — plus one 1-1 team that ranks among the NBA’s best so far this season ( Cavaliers a Thunderrespectively).
The Clippers a Trail Blazers both sit at 1-1 and still are theoretically alive for a wild card spot. However, they both have negative point differentials, giving them a very difficult path among so many other teams that have lost one loss. For both to have a chance to join Houston in exiting the A West, they’ll likely need to win their final two games by comfortable margins … which could lead to a head-to-head matchup on the final day. group game especially spicy.
Teams are currently 1-2 or 0-2 — the 76 years old, Networks, Hornets, Heat, Pacers, Timberwolves, Kings, Nuggets a Grizzlies? Well, they’re going to need a lot of help.
Eastern group A
1. Orlando Magic (2-0)
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Remaining schedule: at Nets, at Knicks
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Key tiebreaker: +37-point differential (23 points ahead of New York)
2. New York Knicks (2-0)
3. Philadelphia 76ers (1-2)
4. Brooklyn Nets (1-2)
5. Charlotte Hornets (0-2)
Eastern group B
1. Milwaukee Bucks (3-0)
2. Detroit Pistons (2-0)
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Remaining schedule: Pacers, vs. Bucks
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Hold a secret head-to-head shootout through the Heat
3. Miami Heat (1-2)
4. Toronto Raptors (0-2)
5. Indiana Pacers (0-2)
Eastern group C
1. Chicago Bulls (2-1)
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Remaining schedule: vs. Celtics
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Hold the tiebreaker against the Hawks
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+15 point difference (one point ahead of Boston)
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Win Group C with a Cavaliers win and a Hawks loss
2. Atlanta Hawks (2-1)
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Remaining schedule: vs. Cavaliers
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-1 point difference, but hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Celtics
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Win Group C with a win and the Bulls with a Celtics loss
3. Boston Celtics (2-1)
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Remaining schedule: at Bulls
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Hold the tiebreaker against the Cavaliers
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Win Group C with a Hawks win and a Cavaliers loss
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (1-1)
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Remaining schedule: Hawks, vs. Wizards
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Hold the tiebreaker against the bulls
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Win Group C with wins over the Hawks and Wizards AND a Celtics loss to the Hawks
5. Washington Wizards (0-3)
Western group A
1. Houston Rockets (3-0)
2. Portland Trail Blazers (1-1)
3. LA Clippers (1-1)
4. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-2)
5. Sacramento Kings (0-2)
West group B
1. Phoenix Suns (2-1)
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Remaining schedule: vs. Spurs
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Hold the tiebreaker against the Lakers
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+19 point difference
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Win Group B with a Thunder win and a Thunder loss
2. Los Angeles Lakers (2-1)
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Remaining schedule: vs. Thunder
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-16 point difference, but hold the tiebreaker against the Spurs
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Win Group B with a Suns win and A with a Suns loss
3. San Antonio Spurs (2-1)
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Remaining schedule: o Suns
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Hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Thunder
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+14 point difference
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Win Group B with a Lakers win and A with a Lakers loss
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (1-1)
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Remaining schedule: v Lakers, vs. Jazz
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Keep a secret head-to-head shootout over the Suns
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Win Group B with wins over the Lakers and a Jazz AND Spurs loss
5. Utah Jazz (0-3)
West group C
1. Golden State Warriors (3-0)
2. Dallas Mavericks (2-1)
3. New Orleans Pelicans (1-2)
4. Denver Nuggets (1-2)
5. Memphis Grizzlies (0-2)
Friday schedule (all times Eastern)
Knicks at Hornets, noon (NBA TV)
Cavaliers at Hawks, 2:30 p.m. (NBA TV)
Pelicans at Grizzlies, 5 p.m. (NBA TV)
Magic in the Nets, 7:30 p.m
Clippers at Timberwolves, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
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