Which teams have advanced to the NBA Cup quarterfinals? Friday's list provided some clarity as all eyes turn to Tuesday's final night of action to determine which teams will fill the bracket.
One team that will not advance is the defending tournament champion Los Angeles Lakers, who lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Group B West action on Friday. The Lakers finished the group stage with a 2-2 record and a minus-24 point differential. The Thunder's 101-93 victory kept their hopes alive.
Earlier on Friday, the Atlanta Hawks became the first East team to advance after winning Group C East by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-101 on Friday. The loss also eliminated the Cavs, who still have the best regular-season record.
The Hawks join two Western teams, the Houston Rockets (winner of Group A West) and the Golden State Warriors (winner of Group C West), as the teams guaranteed to advance. That leaves three other group winners (one in the West, two in the East), as well as one wild-card team from each conference, to seal their berths. And remember, point differential is important in NBA Cup games, as it serves as the first tiebreaker (after head-to-head record in pool play).
As the seventh and final day of play in the NBA Cup group stage approaches, here's what's at stake:
Eastern Conference
Safe: Atlanta Hawks (winner of Group C; visiting team for the quarterfinals)
In contention:
Group A: Orlando Magic, New York Knicks
Group B: Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons
Group C: Boston Celtics (wild card only)
Eliminated: Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards
Scenario: Orlando is in Group A with New York. The winner of the group will win and host the quarterfinals. If New York wins by 30 points or less, Orlando will be the wild card.
Milwaukee will play Detroit in Group B. The winner of the group will win and host the quarterfinals. If New York wins, the loser will be eliminated. If Orlando wins, the wild card spot will be determined by point differential between the Bucks, Pistons and Celtics.
If Detroit wins by six points or more, or Milwaukee by five or more points under the rules, Boston will take the wild card spot. If it is a game by less than five points, or if it goes into overtime, the loser of Detroit-Milwaukee will be re-ranked, if Orlando wins or loses by 30 points or less.
Western Conference
Secure: Houston Rockets (Group A winner), Golden State Warriors (Group C winner)
Contestants:
Group A: Portland Trail Blazers, LA Clippers (wild card only for both teams)
Group B: San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder
Group C: Dallas Mavericks; Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies (wild card only for all teams)
Eliminated: Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz
Scenario:
If the Rockets win in Sacramento and the Warriors win in Denver, they will get home-field advantage in the quarterfinals. If both lose, the Rockets will clinch a home-court spot, as long as they lose by 37 points more than the Warriors.
While technically 11 teams are still alive, the overwhelming probability is that the remaining two qualifiers for the quarterfinals will be the three teams from Group B (Spurs, Suns, and Thunder) and the Mavericks.
The Thunder host the Jazz on Tuesday and must win. If they do, the Thunder will win the group if the Suns beat the Spurs, and the Spurs will win if they beat the Suns. In this scenario, it will be determined by point differential for the wild-card spot.
If Dallas wins, they will be the big favorites to get the wild card under any circumstances, considering their plus-41 point differential. The Suns or Thunder would have to have a margin of victory of at least 23 or 24 points, which is the margin Dallas had against Memphis in its last game.
The only other team that could go 3-1 is the Trail Blazers, who play the Clippers. But Portland has a negative point differential, meaning their only realistic path to the wild card is for both the Thunder and Mavericks to lose.
In the unlikely event that the nine teams tie 2-2, the Mavericks, given their large early point differential advantage, would be the heavy favorite to get a wild card spot.
Here's what stood out from Friday's action.
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