Last season’s NBA champions will not be able to achieve a double in 2023. Nikola Jokić’s Denver Nuggets lost to the Houston Rockets this Friday and were eliminated from the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, the new season tournament of American professional basketball. The impressive Jokić scored 38 points, 19 rebounds and 8 assists in the 42 minutes he was on the court, but his team lost 105-86 to the Rockets in Houston. The absence of Jamal Murray put too much strain on the champions, who lost any chance of qualification after their second defeat in the group stage.
The NBA Cup tournament has surprises in store with its four-day group phase and single-game playoffs. The top two finishers last Tuesday were teams that were unseeded in their respective groups (the Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers). This Friday, apart from the elimination of the Nuggets, the Orlando Magic have put the Boston Celtics in trouble, who in their defeat will have to rely on different combinations and the difference in points to advance to the quarterfinals.
The Phoenix Suns are on the verge of qualifying as the best runner-up in the three groups in the Western Conference. This Friday they worked hard and beat the Memphis Grizzlies 89-110 in a great game from Devin Booker who scored 40 points. For the Grizzlies, Santi Aldama continues to give his best performance, adding 21 points and 5 rebounds in 36 minutes. He was his team’s leading scorer, but with the absences of Ja Morant (suspended) as well as Steven Adams and Marcus Smart (injured), the Grizzlies were only able to hold out until the end of the first quarter. The Suns finished the group stage with three wins and one loss, but with an overall difference of 34 points that seems unattainable for any other group runner-up in the West. Curiously, if the Suns were to pass, they would play the quarterfinals against the Lakers, who were in the same group and are first best.
In Group B of the West, the New Orleans Pelicans and the Houston Rockets are fighting for first place, while in Group C, the Sacramento Kings of D’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, who achieved victory this Friday, are the first in the Group is Minnesota Timberwolves at home 111-124. They still have one game left against the Golden State Warriors. Depending on what the Timberwolves do against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Kings could qualify even if they lose to the Warriors.
Almost everything is open in the three groups of the Eastern Conference. In Group A, where the Pacers are classified, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ hopes of becoming the best runner-up are a long way off. In Group B, the Milwaukee Bucks are almost there. They have won their three games and although they still have to face the Miami Heat, they have achieved a margin of 39 points that no other potential runner-up can currently match. Miami, last season’s NBA finalist, was defeated by the New York Knicks and the classification is complicated, but both still have the opportunity to face the Bucks and go first or second in the group.
The Celtics, in danger
And in Group C, the Orlando Magic have all the cards in their favor after Friday’s win against the Celtics. They completed their participation in the group stage with three wins and one loss and a point difference of +22. This Friday they outscored the Celtics relatively well with 27 points from German Moritz Wagner and 23 from Paolo Banchero. The team has rattled off six straight wins and sits second in the Eastern Conference in the NBA regular season standings. However, a place in the quarterfinals is not guaranteed.
A three-way tie at the top of this Group C is very likely if the Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls and the Nets beat the Toronto Raptors. The Celtics, who currently have a zero point lead, would need to win by 22 points in their final game, and for the Nets to win, they would be first in the group. Additionally, they would have to take advantage of the Nets’ +7 as well as the Raptors’ advantage. If they only beat one of the two group rivals in the three-way battle, they will have to pull out the calculator to find out whether they qualify as the best second place in the East. And it’s not easy.
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