The Celtics needed to beat the Bulls on Friday to advance to the knockout rounds of the NBA Cup, but their chances were greatly diminished based on results elsewhere in the league. The Hawks defeated the Cavaliers 117-101 in Atlanta to pull off an upset in East Group C.

The Hawks’ win means the Celtics can no longer win East Group C. After the Hawks lost to the Bulls last week, it initially looked like that would be a positive for the Celtics. After all, the Cavs were the best team in the NBA so far and the C’s had the tiebreaker against Cleveland. But the Cavs’ only two losses this season have now come in NBA Cup play, making the road more difficult for the C’s.

Atlanta finishes the group at 3-1 after defeating Cleveland. The best Boston can do is go 3-1 with a win over Chicago on Friday. But if both the Hawks and C’s finish atop East Group C at 3-1, the Hawks will get the tiebreaker thanks to their 117-116 win over the Celtics in Boston on Nov. 12.

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Here’s a look at the current state of East Group C after the Hawks win and before the Celtics take on the Bulls:

Now the Celtics can secure a place in the knockout rounds. But they no longer have their fate in their own hands. Boston’s only path to the quarterfinals is via a wild card, as it is the best second-seeded team in the three East groups. To even get there, the Celtics have to beat the Bulls later on Friday.

The Wizards (0-3) and Cavs (1-2) are both eliminated from East Group C competition. The Bulls can also reach the knockout stages and win the group – they just need to beat the reigning champions on their home court. Therefore, the Hawks are hoping for a Celtics win in Chicago to reach the knockout rounds. That’s another factor for Friday’s game: the Bulls still have everything ahead of them in the NBA Cup.

It’s still a little early to predict the Celtics’ chances of landing the wild card spot. Other groups still have several games to play. However, keep in mind that it will come down to points difference. The Celtics are currently 2-1 with a plus-14 point advantage, so they need to increase that number against the Bulls if they can. But the C’s also have a difficult stretch of games ahead of them and the Bulls will be fully prepared for Friday’s game, so it won’t be an easy task.

Last year, the Knicks were the wild card team that emerged from East Group B. They finished their group 3-1 with a lead of plus 44 points. In the West, the Suns were the wild card team at 3-1 and had a plus-34 point lead. The Celtics don’t necessarily need to score that much, but they need to score every point counts in the NBA Cup. Regardless, the Celtics will need some results to go their way. For now, they can only control their own game, which will take place in Chicago on Friday at 8 p.m.