It would be nice and easy to say that the Mavericks will advance to the knockout round of Cup Nights 2024 if they beat the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night at American Airlines Center.

But like most things in life, it’s not that simple.

Things are looking positive for the Mavericks ahead of the final night of the group stage on Tuesday. Their margin of victory in the three previous Cup Nights games is plus 41, making them clear favorites to advance to the knockout rounds if they beat the Grizzlies.

Not guaranteed. But the Mavericks would need crazy circumstances to avoid making it to the next round.

However, if the Mavericks do not defeat the Grizz, they will not play in the money rounds of Cup Nights 2024.

Most likely.

Even a loss on Tuesday would leave them with a mathematical chance that would confuse even Einstein, who could take a 2-2 Mavericks team to the knockout round.

The best advice for fans is to tune in on Tuesday and find out with the rest of the NBA. Anyone who has ever watched an NBA game knows that you try to predict the future at your own risk.

Things to remember: Golden State won Group C, where the Mavericks play. And Houston won Group A. So there are still two places left. One goes to the winner of Group B, either San Antonio or Oklahoma City. The Spurs picked up a win against Phoenix on Tuesday. If they lose, Oklahoma City can win the group with a win over Utah.

That potentially leaves the wild card spot for the Mavericks. If Cup Nights 2024 ended on Monday, the Mavericks would be in the knockout round.

But it wasn’t over on Monday. Here are some scenarios that can provide some clarity about what will happen if certain things happen.

• If the Mavericks beat the Grizzlies, they will be 3-1 in Cup Nights Group Play. To reach the four-team knockout rounds in the West, they must win tiebreakers against a host of other teams that didn’t win the group.
• How is this decided? Well, it will probably come down to point difference. At plus-41, the Mavericks are 22 points better than any other single-loss team, giving them an excellent chance to finish with the highest point differential of any non-group winner.
• But a blowout win by Phoenix or Oklahoma City could push one of those teams past the Mavericks in the tiebreaker standings.

Again, if you’re intrigued by Cup nights in 2024, Tuesday will be a must-see for NBA action.

WESTERN CONFERENCE 2024 CUP NIGHTS STANDING

X: @ESefko