Starting 5, Dec. 3: Thirteen teams out for 5 spots in Emirates NBA Cup Group Play finale

Winner-take-all duels. Wild card chaos. All night long.

Welcome to the Emirates NBA Cup Group Play finale.

THE LINEUP 🏀

Dec. 3, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Tonight In 2 Minutes: What’s at stake entering the final night of Emirates NBA Cup Group Play?

Unbeaten East Showdowns: Two battles to decide two groups among four 3-0 squads

Wild West B: Will the Spurs, Suns or Thunder take West Group B? And how?

More Cup Drama: Key matchups and wild card races round out an epic Cup night

Monday’s Must-See: The C’s, Wolves & Bulls roll, while Ice Trae keeps cooking

BUT FIRST … ⏰

A finale for the ages…

The final night of Emirates NBA Cup Group Play features 11 matchups — eight of which have Knockout Round implications — with five of the eight spots in next week’s Quarterfinals still up for grabs.

A doubleheader on TNT headlines the can’t-miss slate, beginning with a heavyweight bout between two 3-0 clubs as the Knicks host the Magic to decide the winner of East Group A (7:30 ET). Then, Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets will look to keep their Cup hopes alive against the Warriors — the winners of West Group C (10 ET).

1. EMIRATES NBA CUP ESSENTIALS: TUESDAY NIGHT IN 2 MINUTES

Thirteen teams in contention. Five spots in the Knockout Rounds remaining. One night to decide it all. 

The stage is set for an electrifying Emirates NBA Cup Group Play finale tonight with a mix of winner-take-all showdowns and wild card chaos.

Before the drama unfolds, let’s break down Tuesday’s stakes in two minutes.

• 8 Teams Advance: Six Group winners and one wild card team from each conference advance to the single-elimination Knockout Rounds, which begin with the Quarterfinals next Tuesday (Dec. 10)
• 3 Tickets Punched: The Hawks, Rockets and Warriors have already won their groups, leaving five spots still to fill
• 13 Teams Still In Contention: 12 of those teams are in action tonight: the Blazers, Clippers, Spurs, Thunder, Suns, Mavs, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Magic, Knicks, Bucks and Pistons. Meanwhile, the Celtics will await their fate after concluding their Group Play schedule on Friday

• Winner Take All: There are two winner-take-all matchups tonight to decide groups: Bucks at Pistons (7 ET, LP) and Magic at Knicks (7:30 ET, TNT). All four teams control their destiny. If they win, they’re in
• Wild West: Meanwhile, five games have Knockout implications out West, with Group B still undecided and a slew of wild card scenarios
• What Are The Clinching Scenarios? We’ll highlight the clearest road for each team throughout today’s edition, and you can see all the clinching details here
• And Remember, Every Bucket Counts: With head-to-head records, point differential and total points scored in Group Play serving as the first three tiebreakers, every minute of every game is crucial

Keep up with the latest updates and clinching scenarios with the Emirates NBA Cup Tracker and see the full standings and wild card races here.

Now, let’s get ready for tonight’s monster slate.

2. UNBEATEN EAST SHOWDOWNS: WIN AND YOU’RE IN

Bucks (3-0, +29 point diff) at Pistons (3-0, +28) | East Group B | 7 ET, League Pass 

In the first of two winner-take-all duels between unbeaten clubs in the East, Cade Cunningham and the Pistons will host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the surging Bucks — who have won six straight games — to decide the winner of East Group B.

• Hitting Their Stride: On Nov. 10, the Bucks found themselves in 14th place in the East with a 2-8 record. Since then, they’ve gone 8-1 to climb to the No. 5 seed, beginning with an NBA Cup Group Play win over the Raptors
• Their next opponent was Detroit, and Antetokounmpo dropped a season-high 59 points to lead Milwaukee to a 127-120 victory in overtime
• In the win, Giannis became the first player to record 59+ points, 14+ boards, 7+ assists and 3+ blocks on at least 60% shooting in a game since 1973-74, when blocks were first recorded
• The Cade Key: Despite the loss, Cunningham had 35 points and 11 assists for Detroit. Through 18 games this season, he’s averaging career-highs in points (23.5), assists (9.0) and rebounds (7.2)
• Cup Catalyst: Cunningham’s all-around production has been unmatched in the NBA Cup, as he’s the only player to average 20+ points, 10+ assists and 5+ boards through three Group Play games (20.0 ppg, 10.0 apg, 6.3 rpg)

Now, with a berth to the Knockout Rounds on the line, will Cunningham and the Pistons rise to the challenge and outlast Giannis and the streaking Bucks, or will Milwaukee’s momentum carry them to the top of East Group B?

Magic (3-0, +60) at Knicks (3-0, +15) | East Group A | 7:30 ET, TNT

Speaking of momentum, can anybody slow down Franz Wagner and the blistering Magic?

Orlando also rides a six-game win streak into Tuesday’s winner-take-all showdown and has won 12 of its last 13 games, while boasting the league’s top-scoring defense. But how will they fare against the Knicks’ potent offense at MSG?

• Winning With Defense: The Magic are allowing a season-low 102.3 points per game. During their 12-1 stretch, they’ve decreased that number to 97.2, which is 8.9 ppg better than the next closest team in that span (Houston: 106.1 oppg)
• Magic Touch: In those 13 games, Wagner (26.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 7.1 apg) joins the reigning Kia NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and last season’s scoring champ Luka Dončić as the only players in the NBA averaging 26+ points, 6+ rebounds and +7 assists
• More Than A Hot Streak: Wagner’s also averaging career-highs across the board this season in points (23.4), rebounds (5.7), assists (5.9), 3s (2.1) and steals (1.8)

While Orlando is allowing just 97.2 points per game in their last 13 outings, the Knicks starters are averaging 97.0 ppg this season — the most in the NBA and 82.3% of their team total (117.8 ppg).

• Legendary Company: Since starters/reserves statistics were first recorded in 1970-71, only one other team has seen more production from their starting five — the 1971-72 Lakers, whose starters averaged 97.2 ppg on their way to an NBA title
• A few names from that Lakers squad? Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich and Jim McMillian
• New York Is Also Hot: The Knicks have won seven of their last 10 games, with a league-best 123.6 offensive rating in that span
• The Key To Their Offense? Jalen Brunson, who’s the only player in Knicks history to record 500+ points, 150+ assists and 50+ 3s through the first 20 games of a season

3. WILD WEST GROUP B MATCHUPS & SCENARIOS

While the East features a pair of 3-0 showdowns to decide two groups, the third and final remaining group berth — West Group B — is a hectic three-team race between the Spurs, Suns and Thunder, each fighting to keep their Cup hopes alive.

Spurs (2-1, +14 point diff) at Suns (2-1, +19) | West Group B | 9 ET, League Pass 

With the Spurs seeking a win to clinch Group B, Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio will travel to the Valley to take on Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and the Suns, who need a victory and an OKC loss to clinch the group.

• Wild Card Scenario: The Suns’ best chance at a wild card berth is with a win, a Blazers loss and a Mavs loss. Meanwhile, the Spurs would need both teams to lose, along with Denver and OKC in hopes of winning the tiebreaker
• Number To Know: San Antonio went 3-1 against Phoenix last season with Victor Wembanyama averaging 23.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 42.9% from deep in his three appearances

Jazz (0-3, -27) at Thunder (2-1, +18) | West Group B | 8 ET, League Pass

Needing a win and a Spurs loss to clinch West Group B, the West-leading Thunder will face Lauri Markkanen and the already-eliminated Jazz in OKC, where they’re 8-2 this season.

• Wild Card Scenario: OKC can also clinch the West wild card with a win, a Blazers loss and a Mavericks loss. However, Dallas currently leads the wild card spot with a +41 point differential
• What To Watch: After allowing 119 points in a loss to the Rockets on Sunday — 15 points more than its opponents’ season average (104.0 ppg) — how will OKC’s second-ranked scoring defense respond with point differential playing a factor tonight?

4. MORE NBA CUP DRAMA: WILD CARD RACE OUT WEST

Three more games have Knockout implications on Tuesday out West, with the Clippers, Grizzlies, Mavericks and Nuggets all needing a win and some help to earn the wild card spot.

Grizzlies (1-2, -6 point diff) at Mavericks (2-1, +41) | West Group C | 8:30 ET, League Pass: Riding a four-game win streak and an 8-1 record in their past nine games, Luka Dončić and the Mavs face Ja Morant and the Grizzlies, who have notched six straight wins of their own.

• Entering the night, Dallas owns the clearer path for a wild card spot, needing a victory and losses by OKC and Portland.

Warriors (3-0, +12) at Nuggets (1-2, +2) | West Group C | 10 ET, TNT: In a must-watch matchup and a must-win game for Denver, Nikola Jokić will look to earn his seventh triple-double in 10 games to boost the Nuggets past Steph Curry and the Warriors

• While Golden State has already clinched the group, tonight’s a key game for them as well, as they’ll look to snap a four-game skid.

Blazers (2-1, -5) at Clippers (1-2, -6) | West Group A | 10:30 ET, League Pass: Coming off 39 and 43-point performances in the last week, can James Harden lead the Clips in a must-win game, or will the Blazers earn a statement win? Fittingly, Tuesday’s nightcap has big implications.

• If the Thunder and Mavs lose, Portland will simply need a win to get in. Should OKC and Dallas lose, LA could has a chance to advance via tiebreaker, if the Clippers win

Four additional games tip off on League Pass throughout the night, featuring the West A Group winners and the conference’s second-seeded Rockets heading to Sacramento to begin a three-game California road trip. Plus, the East-leading Cavs will take on the Wizards after a big dub over the Celtics on Sunday.

• Wizards (0-3) at Cavaliers (1-2) | East Group C (7 ET)
• 76ers (1-2) at Hornets (0-3) | East Group A (7 ET)
• Pacers (0-3) at Raptors (0-3) | East Group B (7:30 ET)
• Rockets (3-0) at Kings (0-3) | West Group A (10 ET)

5. MONDAY ACTION: CELTICS, WOLVES & BULLS ROLL; YOUNG DELIVERS

Celtics 108, Heat 89: One night after the Cavs snapped their seven-game win streak, the Celtics bounced back with a near wire-to-wire victory over the Heat as Jaylen Brown (29 pts, 4 3s) and Payton Pritchard (25 pts, 5 3s) combined for 54 points and nine 3s. | Recap

• C’s From Deep: Brown, Pritchard, Derrick White (19 pts, 5 3s) and Jayson Tatum (18 pts, 3 3s) hit 17 of the Celtics’ 19 3s, and Boston shot 34.5% from downtown compared to Miami’s 22.9% (8-of-35)
• Heat Leaders: Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyler Herro scored 19 points apiece for Miami, who was without Jimmy Butler (knee)

Wolves 109, Lakers 80: Julius Randle (18 pts) and Rudy Gobert (17 pts, 12 reb) led Minnesota in scoring while helping keep Anthony Davis (12 pts, 11 reb) and LeBron James (10 pts, 8 reb) in check as the Wolves took a 12-point lead into the half and never looked back for their second win in a row. | Recap 

Hawks 124, Pelicans 112: Trae Young posted 12 points and 15 dimes for his 15th points & assists double-double of the season — which leads the NBA — while De’Andre Hunter scored a team-high 22 points on four 3s to lead the Hawks past CJ McCollum (29 pts) and the Pels for their fourth straight W. | Recap 

• A Trae Of Dimes: It’s Young’s sixth game this season with 15+ assists, which leads the NBA and is already the third-most in a single season in Hawks franchise history

Bulls 128, Nets 102: This year’s No. 11 overall pick, Matas Buzelis, netted a career-high 20 points while going 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, and Josh Giddey recorded his first triple-double of the season (20 pts, 13 reb, 11 ast) to help lead the Bulls to a win over Dennis Schröder (16 pts, 10 ast) and the Nets. | Recap