The Warriors are now 3-0 in NBA Cup games, making them the first team to clinch a spot in the knockout round of the in-season tournament. As the NBA announced late on Friday night after Golden State beat New Orleans and Dallas beat Denver (Twitter link), the Warriors have won West Group C, officially securing a quarterfinal berth for December.
The 3-0 Warriors are one game ahead of the 2-1 Mavericks in the NBA Cup standings, while no other team in their group has more than one victory so far. That means the Mavs are the only West Group C club with a chance to match Golden State’s win total, and the Dubs would hold the tiebreaker in that scenario as a result of beating Dallas last Tuesday in their NBA Cup opener.
The winners of the six groups advance to the eight-team knockout round, along with one “wild card” from each conference. The Mavs have a good chance to be that wild card team in the West if they defeat Memphis on December 3, since their +41 point differential in NBA Cup contests is the second-best mark in the league. Point differential is the second tiebreaker after head-to-head results.
The Rockets (Group A) and Lakers (Group B) are the only two other Western Conference teams who are undefeated in NBA Cup play, putting them in the driver’s seat to join the Warriors in the quarterfinals if they can keep winning.
Over in the East, the Hawks (2-1) could clinch Group C with a win over Cleveland next Friday. If Atlanta loses, a Celtics victory over Chicago on the same night would secure the group for Boston. There are still two undefeated teams apiece in East Group A (Magic, Knicks) and East Group B (Bucks, Pistons).
The Dallas Mavericks picked up their fourth-straight win in a 123-120 thriller against the Denver Nuggets. Dallas led by 20 at halftime and eventually as much a
Though we can tell from TV advertising that Thanksgiving has this year been defunded, in favor of early Christmas sales, that doesn’t prevent me fr
The New York Knicks are still figuring things out 15 games into the season, but they have been able to maintain one of the best starting lineups in the league.E
Uncertainty has followed Zion Williamson off the court. The polarizing Pelicans star has split with the powerful Creative Arts Agency, according