The Indiana Pacers’ chances of making a return trip to the quarterfinal round for the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup were already slim heading into Friday’s slate of games.

Now, even prior to their next NBA Cup matchup against the Detroit Pistons on Friday, the Pacers have officially been eliminated from the competition. Per Forbes’ Tony East, the Atlanta Hawks’ 117-101 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers today has booted Indiana from being in the running for an Eastern Conference wildcard berth.

In the victory, three Hawks players scored 20 or more points, led by reserve forward De’Andre Hunter’s 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor (4-of-7 from long range) and 5-of-5 shooting from the charity stripe. He also chipped in five rebounds and three assists. All-Star Atlanta point guard Trae Young scored 21 points while also shooting 7-of-12 from the floor (2-of-4 from beyond the 3-point arc) and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. Power forward Jalen Johnson notched 20 points while shooting 9-of-14 from the field (2-of-4 from distance). He also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out seven dimes.

All-Star Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland led all scorers with 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the floor (5-of-8 from long range) and 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line and All-Defensive Team power forward Evan Mobley logged a 24-point, 12-rebound double-double, but their best efforts weren’t enough.

The Pacers are currently 0-2 in the NBA Cup standings, and were mathematically still alive before the Cavaliers-Hawks clash. Elsewhere in East Group C, the Miami Heat (1-2 in NBA Cup standings) and Toronto Raptors (0-2) have also been eliminated from NBA Cup quarterfinal contention.

This is a massive letdown for Indiana. Last year, the Pacers made it all the way to the inaugural finals of what was then the NBA In-Season Tournament.

Now, Indiana can only serve as a spoiler heading into its third and penultimate matchup, slated for Friday night against the Detroit Pistons. Led by former All-Rookie point guard Cade Cunningham, Detroit is currently 8-12 on the season (Indiana is 9-10), while the Pistons are 2-0. The 6-foot-6 guard out of Oklahoma State, selected with the No. 1 overall pick during the 2021 NBA Draft, is averaging 23.5 points on .438/.358/.808 shooting splits, 8.9 assists, 7.2 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks a night.

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