The Boston Celtics took care of business on the final night of the NBA Tournament Group game of the season. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) (Brian Fluharty via Getty Images)
The final day of group play in this season’s first NBA tournament brought the scoreboard watching and tiebreaker drama the league was hoping for so many months ago.
It came down to an East quarterfinal in which the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks will host the wild card New York Knicks, while the Indiana Pacers will face the Boston Celtics. In the West, both the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns finished in Group A, while the New Orleans Pelicans won Group B.
The Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors are currently playing to decide Group C in the West.
The Celtics entered Tuesday with a simple instruction: beat the Chicago Bulls as hard as possible. With a point differential of zero and a likely three-way tie with the Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets, Boston needed a win over the Bulls to overcome the idle Magic’s +22 lead.
The game started fairly evenly, then the Celtics built a big lead. They had a lead of 11 at the end of the first quarter and 19 at halftime, then broke through with a strong third quarter and won 124-97. That 27-point difference single-handedly pushed the Celtics past Orlando.
Meanwhile, the Nets beat the Toronto Raptors, but so narrowly that they finished behind the Magic.
The Bucks took care of business against the Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat, improving their record to 4-0 and winning East Group B, although the Heat made things difficult at times. Miami led by three points midway through the fourth quarter, but a quick 7-0 run gave Milwaukee the distance it needed.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard had one of their best games to date together, combining for 65 points and 14 assists. However, it was Khris Middleton who had the biggest basket:
The Knicks watched the Bucks-Heat game with great interest because a Heat win would have given them a place in the group. The Knicks improved their point differential to +42 with a blowout win over the Charlotte Hornets, but ultimately had to settle for the East wildcard.
The Pelicans clinched West Group B thanks to a loss to the Houston Rockets, who needed a 17-point win over the Dallas Mavericks to advance.
The Pacers and Lakers became the first teams to clinch a knockout spot, with both teams finishing with 4-0 records on Friday. The Pacers, with NBA Tournament MVP favorite Tyrese Haliburton, cruised to dramatic victories over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers in East Group A, while the Lakers played in an unusually weak West Group A that contained three of the Four bottom teams from the Western Conference were represented.
This group also benefited the Suns, who secured the West wildcard with a lead of +34 points on Tuesday.
Teams that advance will play in the quarterfinals on December 4th and 5th, with games hosted by the higher seeds. The semifinals and final are scheduled for December 7th and 9th in Las Vegas. All games except the final count toward regular season records.
The results of Friday’s NBA regular-season tournament
Boston Celtics 124, Chicago Bulls 97
Cleveland Cavaliers 128, Atlanta Hawks 105
Brooklyn Nets 115, Toronto Raptors 103
New York Knicks 115, Charlotte Hornets 91
Milwaukee Bucks 131, Miami Heat 124
Minnesota Timberwolves 106, Oklahoma City Thunder 103
Dallas Mavericks 119, Houston Rockets 115
NBA tournament rankings during the season
All games, except the championship game, count toward regular season records. Tiebreakers are, in order: head-to-head record, point differential, total points, 2022-23 regular season record and a random drawing.
East Group A
1. Indiana Pacers: 4-0, +39 (group win)
2. Cleveland Cavaliers: 3-1, +29 (eliminated)
3. Philadelphia 76ers: 2-2, +9 (eliminated)
4. Atlanta Hawks: 1-3, -32 (eliminated)
5. Detroit Pistons: 0-4, -45 (eliminated)
East Group B
1. Milwaukee Bucks: 4-0, +46 (group win)
2. New York Knicks: 3-1, +42 (wild card)
3. Miami Heat: 2-2, +4 (eliminated)
4. Charlotte Hornets: 1-3, -54 (eliminated)
5. Washington Wizards: 0-4, -38 (eliminated)
East Group C
1. Boston Celtics: 3-1, +27 (group win)
2. Orlando Magic: 3-1, +22 (eliminated)
3. Brooklyn Nets: 3-1, +20 (eliminated)
4. Toronto Raptors: 1-3, -21 (eliminated)
5. Chicago Bulls: 0-4, -48 (eliminated)
West Group A
1. Los Angeles Lakers: 4-0, +74 (group win)
2. Phoenix Suns: 3-1, +34 (Wild Card)
3. Utah Jazz: 2-2, -13 (eliminated)
4. Portland Trail Blazers: 1-3, -39 (eliminated)
5. Memphis Grizzlies: 0-4, -56 (eliminated)
West Group B
1. New Orleans Pelicans: 3-1, +33 (group win)
2. Houston Rockets: 2-2, +12 (eliminated)
3. Denver Nuggets: 2-2, -10 (eliminated)
4. Dallas Mavericks: 2-2, -14 (eliminated)
5. Los Angeles Clippers: 1-3, -25 (eliminated)
West Group C
1. Sacramento Kings: 3-0, +29
2. Golden State Warriors: 2-1, +5
3. Minnesota Timberwolves: 3-1, 0 (eliminated)
4. Oklahoma City Thunder: 1-3, +24 (eliminated)
5. San Antonio Spurs: 0-4, -58 (eliminated)