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Fifteen games this week will move the Emirates NBA Cup towards clarity and provide a heavy schedule for the conclusion of the NBA Cup group play phase on December 3rd. Five games on Tuesday and ten more on Friday could even determine some quarter-finalists before 11 games on the final evening.

Notice we said 11. In a perfect world, all 30 NBA teams would play next Tuesday to bring maximum excitement to the final night – and they would all tip at the same time, so no one could calculate and play the point difference tiebreaker if necessary.

But if each conference (15) and each group (five) has an odd number of teams, it is impossible for everyone to participate and for every game to count towards cup qualification. Mathematics is to blame.

By the end of Friday, eight teams will have completed their group work. Like the rest of us, they will be spectators on December 3rd, awaiting their fate and their marching orders.

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Game of the Week: Cavs vs. Hawks (November 29)

Tuesday’s TNT doubleheader – Milwaukee at Miami (7:30 p.m. ET), followed by the Los Angeles Lakers in Phoenix (10 ET) – is compelling for reasons that are both related to the pursuit of the trophy and not.

But in their post-Thanksgiving matinee at State Farm Arena (2:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV), the Hawks could do the improbable and secure a spot in the knockout rounds on December 10th and 11th. A win on Friday would give them the East C title straight away, because despite their current record of 7:11, they would have beaten both group strengths, the Celtics and the Cavs. Lose? Atlanta would finish 2-2, needing help from the Bulls and the Wizards and Despite it We’ll probably fail because of a three-team tiebreaker.

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What’s at stake in the East this week

Here’s a breakdown of each group’s week ahead.

East A

Orlando Magic (2-0)

When the Magic face Brooklyn on Friday, there will already be two weeks between cup games. Then Orlando will finish group play four nights later against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden and spend nearly a week in New York (it plays the Nets again on Sunday).

New York Knicks (2-0)

The final hurdle on the Knicks’ five-game road trip is Friday’s stop in Charlotte. The East A crown could then hinge on the Dec. 3 meeting with the Magic.

Philadelphia 76ers (1-2)

With only the group finals to be played in Charlotte next week, the Sixers’ Vegas ambitions are bleak. Either the Magic or Knicks will finish with three wins, and Philadelphia sits ninth in point differential for the East’s wild-card tiebreaker.

Brooklyn Nets (1-2)

Cam Thomas has stepped up his game in Cup games, averaging 30.5 ppg on 59.5% shooting compared to 24.7 ppg on 46.1% shooting overall. He will get his fourth chance in a big game on Friday against the Magic.

Charlotte Hornets (0-2)

With the group’s two road games behind them, the Hornets get a post-Thanksgiving matinee against New York as the first of their two home games. Charlotte’s net rating of -13.1 is its worst ever in NBA Cup play.

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East B

Milwaukee Bucks (2-0)

The Bucks play in Miami on Tuesday in a rivalry that extends beyond East B, then have just one game – at home against the Wizards on Saturday – before completing group play in Detroit next week. Khris Middleton, who is out all season recovering from surgery on both ankles, is expected back soon.

Detroit Pistons (2-0)

The Pistons rank 12th defensively this season but fifth in Cup play. Their score in the small sample improved from 111.9 to 104.3. They face Indiana on Friday and hope to make up for their 115-109 loss on opening night.

Miami Heat (1-1)

The Heat packed their first two group games into the first week and are now hosting the Bucks and the Raptors this week. If Miami wins both, it could become group winner and quarterfinalist, either outright or via tiebreaker.

Toronto Raptors (0-2)

The Raptors are 1-10 on the road after suffering a non-Cup loss in Detroit on Monday. They have two more away games this week: at New Orleans on Wednesday and then their third East B game at Miami on Friday. They will complete group play on Dec. 3 at home against Indiana, where the Raptors are 4-4.

Indiana Pacers (0-2)

Someone else will take over Indiana’s role as a young team that is accelerating its schedule – well, supposedly – with spirited Cup Tournament play. The Pacers lost to the Bucks and the Heat. They host Detroit and then travel to Toronto on December 3rd for a four-game trip.

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East C

Atlanta Hawks (2-1)

Atlanta had a chance to control East C until it was defeated by the Bulls in Chicago on Friday. The group final is no bargain as the game against the Cavaliers is the second of a home game against Cleveland.

Boston Celtics (2-1)

Of the five teams that played two cup games last week, the Celtics were the only ones to lose 2-0. Their fate for the quarterfinals could be known as early as Friday when they finish in Chicago while Atlanta hosts the Cavaliers.

Cleveland Cavaliers (1-1)

Cleveland ranks first in the Cup offensively but 26th defensively, compared to first and ninth this season. Kenny Atkinson’s team will look to tighten things up against the Hawks on Friday before taking on the Wizards next week. Forgive the Cavs if they get distracted by the game in between – the Celtics visit Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Sunday.

Chicago Bulls (1-1)

The Bulls earned their first Cup victory in six tries (dating back to last season’s tournament) on Sunday, stopping Atlanta. Their final two games of the year are in Washington on Tuesday, followed by Boston at the United Center on Friday.

Washington Wizards (0-2)

The Wizards snapped an 11-game losing streak heading into their third East C Challenge on Tuesday against Chicago. They are on a six-game losing streak in the cup since the 2023 edition.

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What’s at stake in the West this week

Here’s a breakdown of each group’s week ahead.

West A

Houston Rockets (2-0)

If they need it to break a tie, the Rockets have a thick +49 point differential cushion, are top of the league and, after two games, better than any of the eight teams that have played three. Three of the next four are on the road, including Cup finals in Minnesota on Tuesday and Sacramento on December 3rd.

Portland Trail Blazers (1-1)

The Blazers only have two players – Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe – who barely crack the top 100 in Cup scoring average (15.0). But just like all season, they have seven players averaging 10+ points. Portland was pinned at Memphis on Monday and plays at Indiana on Wednesday before its next Cup game against Sacramento on Friday.

Minnesota Timberwolves (1-1)

Taking care of Cup business against Houston and the Clippers this week at Target Center would give Minnesota two champions: give them a shot at the knockout round while also alleviating their current 5-2 loss. Point guard Mike Conley was injured (toe) – the Wolves won the last two games he played but lost three he didn’t play.

LA Clippers (1-1)

The Clippers are trying to chase the Rockets, to whom they lost in the Cup opener. That gave them five straight wins and a stingier defense (96.8 points allowed during the series). At the end of a four-game trip, they face Minnesota and play Portland at home next week.

Sacramento Kings (0-2)

De’Aaron Fox averages a league-best 44.5 points and has a 58.2% strike rate in two cup games. But the Kings lost to both the Wolves and Clippers and rank 22nd offensively and 18th defensively. Their overall season placings are 11th and 15th.

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West B

Los Angeles Lakers (2-0)

The reigning cup winners outperformed Spurs and Jazz and won their first two group games. The opponents will get tougher this week as the Lakers play in Phoenix on Tuesday and Oklahoma City at home on Friday. Anthony Davis increased his stats to 33 ppg, 13 rpg and 58.5% shooting in group play.

San Antonio Spurs (1-1)

No Victor Wembanyama, no problem – the big guy’s absence didn’t stop the Spurs from getting their first-ever Cup victory, beating OKC in San Antonio. They’re in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, facing an opponent against whom Wembanyama has averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds and a total of 27 blocked shots in five games.

Oklahoma City Thunder (1-1)

The Thunder can flip the script on this group if they can beat the Lakers on Friday. That would give them a possible 3-1 mark when LA OKC finishes against Utah on December 3rd.

Phoenix Suns (1-1)

Losing twice – by 10, when they scored 99 against Orlando, and then by 16, when they gave up 138 against New York – is an ill-advised way to start a six-game homestand. The Suns will play their final cup games on Tuesday at home against the Lakers and on December 3rd against the Spurs.

Utah Jazz (0-2)

The Jazz are aiming for their first two-game winning streak of the season in their group game against visiting San Antonio. The home cooking wasn’t good – Utah scores less, shoots worse and gets to the finish line less often at the Delta Center than elsewhere.

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West C

Golden State Warriors (3-0)

The Warriors are idle in group play and will face the Nuggets next week. They’re playing Denver for the first time this season (and only meet until March), with a shot at 4-0 on Tuesday.

Dallas Mavericks (2-1)

The Mavericks play at home against Memphis on Tuesday, but are at a disadvantage after losing their group opener to Golden State on November 12th. This is the first tie-breaker for moving into the knockout rounds. Luka Dončić has averaged 28.5 points in his first three points, but is shooting 27.8% on 3-pointers.

New Orleans Pelicans (1-2)

An 0-2 week in group play extended the Pelicans’ difficult stretch to 1-10, now 1-11 since Nov. 3 after Monday’s loss at Indiana. Zion Williamson’s absence is the obvious problem – New Orleans is 2-4 when he plays and 2-9 when he doesn’t. And he’s still out indefinitely with a left hamstring strain.

Denver Nuggets (1-2)

After a 1-1 week, the Nuggets are out of Vegas in the near future, and their blowout loss to New York on Monday opened up another problem: Denver is just 5-4 at home, where they play group play on Dec. 3 finish vs. Golden State.

Memphis Grizzlies (0-2)

Memphis is 11-5 in non-group play, but that won’t get the Grizzlies into the knockout round. They finish the tournament on Friday against New Orleans and on December 3rd in Dallas. The franchise is still looking for a victory in the cup tournament after two years.

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Steve Aschburner has been writing about the NBA since 1980. You can send him an email Herefind his archive here And Follow him on X.

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