Starting 5, Dec. 3: Thirteen teams competing for 5 spots in Emirates NBA Cup Group Play finale

Winner-take-all duels. Wild card chaos. All night long.

Welcome to the Emirates NBA Cup Group Play finale.

THE LINEUP

Dec. 3, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Tonight In 2 Minutes: What’s at stake entering the final 

night of Emirates NBA Cup Group Play?

Unbeaten East Showdowns: Two battles to decide two groups 

among four 3-0 squads

Wild West B: Will the Spurs, Suns or Thunder take West Group 

B? And how?

More Cup Drama: Key matchups and wild card races round out an 

epic Cup night

Monday’s Must-See: The C’s, Wolves & Bulls roll, while Ice 

Trae keeps cooking

BUT FIRST … ⏰

A finale for the ages…

The final night of Emirates NBA Cup Group Play 

features 11 matchups — eight of which have Knockout Round 

implications — with five of the eight spots in next week’s 

Quarterfinals still up for grabs.

A doubleheader on TNT headlines the can’t-miss slate, beginning 

with a heavyweight bout between two 3-0 clubs as the Knicks host 

the Magic to decide the winner of East Group A (7:30 ET

). Then, Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets will look to keep their 

Cup hopes alive against the Warriors — the winners of West Group 

C (10 ET

).

1. EMIRATES NBA CUP ESSENTIALS: TUESDAY NIGHT IN 2 MINUTES

Thirteen teams in contention. Five spots in the Knockout 

Rounds remaining. One night to decide it all. 

The stage is set for an electrifying Emirates NBA Cup Group Play 

finale tonight with a mix of winner-take-all showdowns and wild 

card chaos.

Before the drama unfolds, let’s break down Tuesday’s stakes in 

two minutes.

8 Teams Advance: Six Group winners and one wild card team

from each conference advance to the single-elimination Knockout Rounds, which begin with the Quarterfinals next Tuesday (Dec. 10)

3 Tickets Punched: The Hawks, Rockets and Warriors have already

won their groups, leaving five spots still to fill

13 Teams Still In Contention: 12 of those teams are in action

tonight: the Blazers, Clippers, Spurs, Thunder, Suns, Mavs, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Magic, Knicks, Bucks and Pistons. Meanwhile, the Celtics will await their fate after concluding their Group Play schedule on Friday

Winner Take All: There are two

winner-take-all matchups tonight to decide groups: Bucks at 

Pistons (7 ET, LP) and Magic at Knicks (7:30 ET, TNT). All four 

teams control their destiny. If they win, they’re in

Wild West: Meanwhile, five games have Knockout implications out

West, with Group B still undecided and a slew of wild card scenarios

What Are The Clinching Scenarios? We’ll highlight the clearest

road for each team throughout today’s edition, and you can see all the clinching details hereAnd Remember, Every Bucket Counts: With head-to-head records, point differential and total points scored in Group Play serving as the first three tiebreakers, every minute of every game is crucial

Keep up with the latest updates and clinching scenarios with 

the Emirates NBA Cup Tracker 

and see the full standings and wild card races here

.

Now, let’s get ready for tonight’s monster slate.

2. UNBEATEN EAST SHOWDOWNS: WIN AND YOU’RE IN

Bucks (3-0, +29 point diff) at Pistons (3-0, +28) | East Group B | 7 ET, League Pass 

In the first of two winner-take-all duels between unbeaten 

clubs in the East, Cade Cunningham and the Pistons will host 

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the surging Bucks — who have won six 

straight games — to decide the winner of East Group B.

Hitting Their Stride: On Nov. 10, the Bucks found themselves

in 14th place in the East with a 2-8 record. Since then, they’ve gone 8-1 to climb to the No. 5 seed, beginning with an NBA Cup Group Play win over the Raptors

Their next opponent was Detroit, and Antetokounmpo dropped a

season-high 59 points to lead Milwaukee to a 127-120 victory in overtime

In the win, Giannis became the first player to record 59+

points, 14+ boards, 7+ assists and 3+ blocks on at least 60% shooting in a game since 1973-74, when blocks were first recordedThe Cade Key: Despite the loss, Cunningham had 35 points and 11 assists for Detroit. Through 18 games this season, he’s averaging career-highs in points (23.5), assists (9.0) and rebounds (7.2)

Cup Catalyst: Cunningham’s all-around production has been

unmatched in the NBA Cup, as he’s the only player to average 20+ points, 10+ assists and 5+ boards through three Group Play games (20.0 ppg, 10.0 apg, 6.3 rpg)

Now, with a berth to the Knockout Rounds on the line, will 

Cunningham and the Pistons rise to the challenge and outlast 

Giannis and the streaking Bucks, or will Milwaukee’s momentum 

carry them to the top of East Group B?

Magic (3-0, +60) at Knicks (3-0, +15) | East Group A | 7:30 ET, TNT

Speaking of momentum, can anybody slow down Franz Wagner and the 

blistering Magic?

Orlando also rides a six-game win streak into Tuesday’s 

winner-take-all showdown and has won 12 of its last 13 games, 

while boasting the league’s top-scoring defense. But how will 

they fare against the Knicks’ potent offense at MSG?

Winning With Defense: The Magic are allowing a season-low

102.3 points per game. During their 12-1 stretch, they’ve decreased that number to 97.2, which is 8.9 ppg better than the next closest team in that span (Houston: 106.1 oppg)

Magic Touch: In those 13 games, Wagner (26.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 7.1

apg) joins the reigning Kia NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and last season’s scoring champ Luka Dončić as the only players in the NBA averaging 26+ points, 6+ rebounds and +7 assists

More Than A Hot Streak: Wagner’s also averaging career-highs

across the board this season in points (23.4), rebounds (5.7), assists (5.9), 3s (2.1) and steals (1.8)

While Orlando is allowing just 97.2 points per game in their 

last 13 outings, the Knicks starters are averaging 97.0 ppg this 

season — the most in the NBA and 82.3% of their team total (117.8 

ppg).

Legendary Company: Since starters/reserves statistics were 

first recorded in 1970-71, only one other team has seen more 

production from their starting five — the 1971-72 Lakers, whose 

starters averaged 97.2 ppg on their way to an NBA title

A few names from that Lakers squad? Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin

Baylor, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich and Jim McMillian

New York Is Also Hot: The Knicks have won seven of their last

10 games, with a league-best 123.6 offensive rating in that span

The Key To Their Offense? Jalen Brunson, who’s the only player

in Knicks history to record 500+ points, 150+ assists and 50+ 3s through the first 20 games of a season

3. WILD WEST GROUP B MATCHUPS & SCENARIOS

While the East features a pair of 3-0 showdowns to decide two 

groups, the third and final remaining group berth — West Group B 

— is a hectic three-team race between the Spurs, Suns and 

Thunder, each fighting to keep their Cup hopes alive.

Spurs (2-1, +14 point diff) at Suns (2-1, +19) | West Group B | 9 ET, League Pass 

With the Spurs seeking a win to clinch Group B, Victor 

Wembanyama and San Antonio will travel to the Valley to take on 

Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and the Suns, who need a victory and 

an OKC loss to clinch the group.

Wild Card Scenario: The Suns’ best chance at a wild card

berth is with a win, a Blazers loss and a Mavs loss. Meanwhile, the Spurs would need both teams to lose, along with Denver and OKC in hopes of winning the tiebreaker

Number To Know: San Antonio went 3-1 against Phoenix last

season with Victor Wembanyama averaging 23.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 42.9% from deep in his three appearances

Jazz (0-3, -27) at Thunder (2-1, +18) | West Group B | 8 ET, League Pass

Needing a win and a Spurs loss to clinch West Group B, the 

West-leading Thunder will face Lauri Markkanen and the 

already-eliminated Jazz in OKC, where they’re 8-2 this season.

Wild Card Scenario: OKC can also clinch the West wild card

with a win, a Blazers loss and a Mavericks loss. However, Dallas currently leads the wild card spot with a +41 point differential

What To Watch: After allowing 119 points in a loss to the

Rockets on Sunday — 15 points more than its opponents’ season average (104.0 ppg) — how will OKC’s second-ranked scoring defense respond with point differential playing a factor tonight?

4. MORE NBA CUP DRAMA: WILD CARD RACE OUT WEST

Three more games have Knockout implications on Tuesday out 

West, with the Clippers, Grizzlies, Mavericks and Nuggets all 

needing a win and some help to earn the wild card spot.

Grizzlies (1-2, -6 point diff) at Mavericks (2-1, +41) | West Group C | 8:30 ET, League Pass

: Riding a four-game win streak and an 8-1 record in their past 

nine games, Luka Dončić and the Mavs face Ja Morant and the 

Grizzlies, who have notched six straight wins of their own.

Entering the night, Dallas owns the clearer path for a wild

card spot, needing a victory and losses by OKC and Portland.

Warriors (3-0, +12) at Nuggets (1-2, +2) | West Group C | 10 ET, TNT

: In a must-watch matchup and a must-win game for Denver, Nikola 

Jokić will look to earn his seventh triple-double in 10 games to 

boost the Nuggets past Steph Curry and the Warriors

While Golden State has already clinched the group, tonight’s a

key game for them as well, as they’ll look to snap a four-game skid.

Blazers (2-1, -5) at Clippers (1-2, -6) | West Group A | 10:30 ET, League Pass

: Coming off 39 and 43-point performances in the last week, can 

James Harden lead the Clips in a must-win game, or will the 

Blazers earn a statement win? Fittingly, Tuesday’s nightcap has 

big implications.

If the Thunder and Mavs lose, Portland will simply need a win

to get in. Should OKC and Dallas lose, LA could has a chance to advance via tiebreaker, if the Clippers win

Four additional games tip off on League Pass throughout the 

night, featuring the West A Group winners and the conference’s 

second-seeded Rockets heading to Sacramento to begin a three-game 

California road trip. Plus, the East-leading Cavs will take on 

the Wizards after a big dub over the Celtics on Sunday.

Wizards (0-3) at Cavaliers (1-2) | East Group C (7 ET

)

76ers (1-2) at Hornets (0-3) | East Group A (7 ET

)

Pacers (0-3) at Raptors (0-3) | East Group B (7:30 ET

)

Rockets (3-0) at Kings (0-3) | West Group A (10 ET

)

5. MONDAY ACTION: CELTICS, WOLVES & BULLS ROLL; YOUNG DELIVERS

Celtics 108, Heat 89: One night after the Cavs snapped their 

seven-game win streak, the Celtics bounced back with a near 

wire-to-wire victory over the Heat as Jaylen Brown (29 pts, 4 3s) 

and Payton Pritchard (25 pts, 5 3s) combined for 54 points 

and nine 3s. | Recap

C’s From Deep: Brown, Pritchard, Derrick White (19 pts, 5 3s)

and Jayson Tatum (18 pts, 3 3s) hit 17 of the Celtics’ 19 3s, and Boston shot 34.5% from downtown compared to Miami’s 22.9% (8-of-35)

Heat Leaders: Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyler Herro scored 19 points

apiece for Miami, who was without Jimmy Butler (knee)

Wolves 109, Lakers 80: Julius Randle (18 pts) and Rudy Gobert 

(17 pts, 12 reb) led Minnesota in scoring while helping keep 

Anthony Davis (12 pts, 11 reb) and LeBron James (10 pts, 8 reb) 

in check as the Wolves took a 12-point lead into the half and 

never looked back for their second win in a row. | Recap 

Hawks 124, Pelicans 112: Trae Young posted 12 points and 15 

dimes

 

for his 15th points & assists double-double of the season — which 

leads the NBA — while De’Andre Hunter scored a team-high 22 

points on four 3s to lead the Hawks past CJ McCollum (29 pts) and 

the Pels for their fourth straight W. | Recap 

A Trae Of Dimes: It’s Young’s sixth game this season with 15+

assists, which leads the NBA and is already the third-most in a single season in Hawks franchise history

Bulls 128, Nets 102: This year’s No. 11 overall pick, Matas 

Buzelis, netted a career-high 20 points while going 4-of-5 from 

beyond the arc, and Josh Giddey recorded his first triple-double 

of the season (20 pts, 13 reb, 11 ast) to help lead the Bulls to 

a win over Dennis Schröder (16 pts, 10 ast) and the Nets. | Recap