The final day of Emirates NBA Cup Group Play games has arrived. Last week’s slate knocked off just one of the then-seven remaining undefeated teams, so we enter Tuesday’s schedule with six 3-0 teams.
NBA Cup Standings
Out West, the 3-0 Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets have each clinched a berth in the quarterfinal round, while the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers dropped both Cup games last week and need serious help to stay alive.
In the East, there are four undefeated teams, with the Orlando Magic, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks all 3-0. The Knicks host the Magic and the Pistons square off against the Bucks in Detroit on Tuesday. Yet only the 3-1 Atlanta Hawks have secured a spot in the quarterfinals thus far. Here are the full standings for both conferences:
🏆 ATL clinches East Group C
🏆 DET, NYK, ORL move to 3-0The final night of #EmiratesNBACup Group Play is Tuesday, 12/3! pic.twitter.com/dccTOgj8GP
— NBA (@NBA) November 30, 2024
Just like their 2023-24 NBA Cup Finals counterpart, the Indiana Pacers also failed to make the quarterfinals this year. Amid a bumpy start to their season, they’ve opened Group Play 0-3, so a new team will represent the East in this year’s championship game.
Tuesday’s Schedule
After last Tuesday only brought us five Cup games, this week is loaded with 22 teams in action, 14 of which are still a contender to win it all.
Tuesday’s #EmiratesNBACup slate for the final night of Group Play 🍿
🏆 The 5 remaining Knockout Round spots will be determined (Hawks, Rockets, Warriors all clinched)
🏆 3-0 Magic visit 3-0 Knicks, winner clinches East Group A
🏆 3-0 Pistons host 3-0 Bucks, winner clinches East… pic.twitter.com/6hxKwjoEVw— NBA (@NBA) December 3, 2024
Best NBA Cup Games To Watch
Between point differential tiebreakers to potentially determine seeding and plenty other teams simply trying to advance to the quarterfinals, there’s a lot on the line in Tuesday’s games. That should make for some pretty fun contests (records are from Group Play and all start times are listed in EST).
- Dec. 3: 3-0 Milwaukee Bucks vs. 3-0 Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m.
- Dec. 3: 3-0 New York Knicks vs. 3-0 Orlando Magic, 7:30 p.m.
- Dec. 3: 1-2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. 2-1 Dallas Mavericks, 8:30 p.m.
- Dec. 3: 2-1 San Antonio Spurs vs. 2-1 Phoenix Suns, 9 p.m.
- Dec. 3: 3-0 Golden State Warriors vs. 1-2 Denver Nuggets, 10 p.m.
I’m particularly excited for Bucks-Pistons. Detroit hasn’t played a game of this magnitude in many seasons and has finally established some steady footing this season after years of tumult. Little Caesars Arena should be hopping.
