2024 NBA Cup: which teams are still looking for a place in the round of 16?

The Emirates NBA Cup 2024 heats up as the groups end. Here’s a look at the situation in each of the six groups as the tournament progresses:

How it works: group winners and wildcards

There will be two more evenings of group play, concluding on Tuesday, December 3, with the top eight teams from the East and West – the winners of Groups A, B and C, plus two “wildcards” ( the team from each group) conference with the best record in group matches and finished second in their group) – qualifying for the knockout rounds.

Due to the small number of matches, tiebreakers will likely come into play (even for the wild card), with the team that advances being decided by:

• (1) face-to-face in a group game;

• (2) point differential outside of overtime in group games;

• (3) total points excluding overtime in group play;

• (4) 2023-24 regular season record and finally;

• (5) a random draw.

The four quarter-final matches will be played on Tuesday December 10 and Wednesday December 11.

The four winners will travel to Las Vegas, where the semi-finals will take place on Saturday, December 14. The NBA Cup championship game will take place on Tuesday, December 17 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. This will be the only game in the entire tournament that will not also count toward the participating teams’ regular season records or their players’ statistics.

However, teams not traveling to Las Vegas won’t just be relaxing at home. During the round of 16, on days when no NBA Cup matches are scheduled – Thursday December 12, Friday December 13, Sunday December 15 and Monday December 16 – the 22 teams not qualified for the KOs will each play two season matches regular. The four losing teams in the quarterfinals will each play a regular season game against each other.

Who sits nicely

• As winners of West Group C, the 3-0 Warriors were the first team to get their ticket to the round of 16which is as pretty as it gets at this point.

• With a victory on Tuesday, the Rockets won Group A West 3-0 on Tuesday.

• The 2-0 Magic and 3-0 Bucks lead the East in Groups A and B respectively, with more than 20 points ahead in the East group. point-differential department against their 2-0 counterparts, the Knicks and Pistons, putting Orlando and Milwaukee in a strong position to either win their group or fight for the East wild card spot.

Who is always on the hunt

Technically everyone except the Pelicans, Jazz, Raptors and Wizards.

But the Hornets, Pacers, Kings and Grizzlies remain winless. There are also five 1-2 teams still hanging on: the 76ers, Nets, Nuggets, Heat and Timberwolves.

The other 17 teams in the league all have records of 3-0, 2-0, 2-1 or 1-1, and are still alive for a place in the round of 16.

(Check the NBA Cup standings)

East Group A

1. Orlando Magic (2-0)

• Remaining schedule: at Nets, at Knicks

• Key tiebreaker: +37 points difference (23 points ahead of New York)

2. New York Knicks (2-0)

3. Philadelphia 76ers (1-2)

4. Brooklyn Nets (1-2)

5. Charlotte Hornets (0-2)

East Group B

1. Milwaukee Bucks (3-0)

2. Detroit Pistons (2-0)

• Remaining schedule: at Pacers, against Bucks

• Set up a head-to-head tiebreaker against Heat

3. Miami Heat (1-2)

4. Toronto Raptors (0-2)

5. Indiana Pacers (0-2)

East Group C

1. Chicago Bulls (2-1)

• Remaining schedule: vs. Celtics

• Set up a head-to-head tiebreaker against the Hawks

• +15 points difference (one point ahead of Boston)

• Win Group C with a victory AND a loss for the Cavaliers against the Hawks

2. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)

• Remaining schedule: vs. Cavaliers

• -1 point differential, but organize a tiebreaker against the Celtics

• Win Group C with a win AND a loss for the Bulls against the Celtics

3. Boston Celtics (2-1)

• Remaining schedule: with the Bulls

• Set up a head-to-head tiebreaker against the Cavaliers

• Win Group C with victory AND defeat for the Hawks against the Cavaliers

4. Cleveland Cavaliers (1-1)

• Remaining schedule: at Hawks, against Wizards

• Set up a head-to-head tiebreaker against the Bulls

• Win Group C with wins over the Hawks and Wizards AND Celtics loss to the Hawks

5. Washington Wizards (0-3)

West Group A

1. Houston Rockets (3-0)

2. Portland Trail Blazers (1-1)

3. LA Clippers (1-1)

4. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-2)

5. Sacramento Kings (0-2)

West Group B

1. Phoenix Suns (2-1)

• Remaining schedule: vs. Spurs

• Set up a head-to-head tiebreaker against the Lakers

• +19 points differential

• Win Group B with victory AND defeat Thunder

2. Los Angeles Lakers (2-1)

• Remaining schedule: vs. Thunder

• -16 points differential, but organize a tiebreaker against the Spurs

• Win Group B with victory AND defeat for the Suns

3. San Antonio Spurs (2-1)

• Remaining schedule: at the Suns

• Set up a head-to-head tiebreaker against Thunder

• +14 points differential

• Win Group B with victory AND defeat for the Lakers

4. Oklahoma City Thunder (1-1)

• Remaining schedule: at the Lakers, against Jazz

• Set up a head-to-head tiebreaker against the Suns

• Win Group B with victories over the Lakers and defeat of the Jazz AND the Spurs

5. Utah Jazz (0-3)

West Group C

1. Golden State Warriors (3-0)

2. Dallas Mavericks (2-1)

3. New Orleans Pelicans (1-2)

4. Denver Nuggets (1-2)

5. Memphis Grizzlies (0-2)