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The second iteration of the NBA's in-season tournament has been a huge hit, but the Group Phase is wrapping up for the 2024 NBA Cup. The last set of group play games is on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Some teams have already been eliminated from Knockout Round contention, but there are still plenty of implications on the last day of the NBA Cup's Group Phase. Each group's winner, as well as a wild card team from each conference, will advance to the next round, and the majority of the league will play on Dec. 3, so check out this article to learn everything you need to know about the next slate of games.
Tuesday, Dec. 3 NBA Cup schedule
Philadelphia 76ers @ Charlotte Hornets at 7 p.m. ET
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. ET
Milwaukee Bucks @ Detroit Pistons at 7 p.m. ET
Orlando Magic @ New York Knicks at 7:30 p.m. ET
Indiana Pacers @ Toronto Raptors at 7:30 p.m. ET
Utah Jazz @ Oklahoma City Thunder at 8 p.m. ET
Memphis Grizzlies @ Dallas Mavericks at 8:30 p.m. ET
San Antonio Spurs @ Phoenix Suns at 9 p.m. ET
Golden State Warriors @ Denver Nuggets at 10 p.m. ET
Houston Rockets @ Sacramento Kings at 10 p.m. ET
Portland Trail Blazers @ Los Angeles Clippers at 10:30 p.m. ET
How to watch NBA Cup games
Two of the Dec. 3 NBA Cup games will be nationally broadcast. Both the Orlando Magic vs. New York Knicks game, as well as the Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets game, will be broadcast on TNT. The other games will be locally broadcast and viewable on NBA League Pass.
*Watch NBA Cup games live with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
NBA Cup standings
West Group A
Houston Rockets: 3-0
Portland Trail Blazers: 2-1
Minnesota Timberwolves: 2-2
Los Angeles Clippers: 1-2
Sacramento Kings: 0-3
West Group B
Phoenix Suns: 2-1
Oklahoma City Thunder: 2-1
San Antonio Spurs: 2-1
Los Angeles Lakers: 2-2
Utah Jazz: 0-3
West Group C
Golden State Warriors: 3-0
Dallas Mavericks: 2-1
Denver Nuggets: 1-2
Memphis Grizzlies: 1-2
New Orleans Pelicans: 1-3
East Group A
Orlando Magic: 3-0
New York Knicks: 3-0
Philadelphia 76ers: 1-2
Brooklyn Nets: 1-3
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Charlotte Hornets: 0-3
East Group B
Detroit Pistons: 3-0
Milwaukee Bucks: 3-0
Miami Heat: 2-2
Toronto Raptors: 0-3
Indiana Pacers: 0-3
East Group C
Atlanta Hawks: 3-1
Boston Celtics: 3-1
Chicago Bulls: 2-2
Cleveland Cavaliers: 1-2
Washington Wizards: 0-3
Eastern Conference storylines
There are still plenty of NBA Cup games with Knockout Stage implications. No game will be bigger on Dec. 3 than the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Detroit Pistons game. While the Bucks started the season off slow, they've gotten back on track largely because of NBA Cup play. The team is 3-0 in the in-season tournament, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard have stepped up for the big games. Detroit is also 3-0, though, so someone will have to lose their zero. The Pistons were one of the worst teams of all time last season, but they've made huge strides this year, and advancing to the Knockout Stage would allow them to showcase their talent to any fans who still think that they are a bad team.
Another 3-0 vs 3-0 Eastern conference matchup is between the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks. The Magic have won 10 of their last 11 games despite being without Paolo Banchero, and they deserve to be viewed as title contenders once he returns. In Banchero's absence, Franz Wagner has stepped up and looked like a superstar. The Magic are a defensive-minded team, but so are the Knicks. O.G. Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are among the best defensive players in the NBA, and Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson provide plenty of offensive pop.
The winner of both of the aforementioned games will clinch a spot in the Knockout Stage, which means the losers will be vying for a wildcard spot with the 3-1 Boston Celtics. While those games are the biggest for the NBA Cup, the other games still count towards regular season records and are, therefore, plenty important, even for teams eliminated from Knockout Stage contention.
The Philadelphia 76ers fit this description. The 76ers got off to a painfully slow start, but they've finally started to turn things around. Losses will be devastating going forward because of the hole that Philadelphia dug themselves into, so getting a win against the Charlotte Hornets will be key. LaMelo Ball won't go down easy, though. Ball is lighting up the stat sheet with 31.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game, and he has been hitting video game-like highlight shots along the way.
Two other teams playing each other are the Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers. Their respective seasons have been the tales of two very different stories. The Cavaliers started the season off 15-0, which gave them the second-longest unbeaten streak in NBA history. Meanwhile, the Wizards went 0-14 in the month of November, making them one of 16 teams to go winless in an entire month.
The Indiana Pacers are also playing on Dec. 3. The team made it all the way to the in-season tournament championship game last season before making a run to the Eastern Conference Finals, but they haven't been as successful this season. The Pacers are playing the Toronto Raptors in what will be a revenge game for Pascal Siakam.
Western Conference storylines
The Western Conference slate of NBA Cup games has plenty of crucial games as well. Notably, the Golden State Warriors have a chance to clinch an undefeated NBA Cup record. The Warriors started the season off hot despite Stephen Curry missing time, but they've now lost four straight, and they have to face a recent champion in the Denver Nuggets. Denver hasn't been producing to their normal standards, but the return of Aaron Gordon could change that.
The Houston Rockets, also currently undefeated in Group Play, are taking on the Sacramento Kings. The Rockets are uber young, but they are in second place in the Western Conference and coming off of a statement win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Kings, meanwhile, are still working out the kinks with DeMar DeRozan in their lineup.
Speaking of the Thunder, the team is still atop the Western Conference standings even after the loss to the Rockets. Their NBA Cup matchup on Dec. 3 is against the Utah Jazz. Isaiah Hartenstein, who recently returned from injury, has looked great starting in place of Chet Holmgren, who recently went down with injury. The Jazz lost their most recent game because of an inopportune timeout call that took away a game-winning shot by Collin Sexton.
The Thunder are one of three 2-1 teams in West Group B. The other two 2-1 teams in that group (Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs) will play each other on Dec. 3. The Suns struggled without Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant, but they are now again looking much better now that two-thirds of their big three are healthy.
Another intriguing matchup will be between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks have won four straight, as they did surprisingly well without Luka Doncic. The team's star is back now, and they will want to continue their hot streak en route to trying to make the NBA Finals again. The Grizzlies are in third place in the Western Conference standings this year, as they've looked much more like the Grizzlies of old than the injury-riddled team that struggled last season.
The last game of the night is between the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers. Even without Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers have found ways to win games, as evidenced by their recent victory over the Nuggets. Norman Powell has been one of the most improved players this year, and that Nuggets game saw a vintage James Harden performance.
Predictions
76ers beat the Hornets 109-107
Cavaliers beat the Wizards 135-115
Bucks beat the Pistons 118-114
Knicks beat the Magic 122-121
Pacers beat the Raptors 125-117
Thunder beat the Jazz 130-114
Mavericks beat the Grizzlies 119-116
Suns beat the Spurs 121-108
Nuggets beat the Warriors 124-123
Rockets beat the Kings 127-122
Clippers beat the Trail Blazers 109-103
