The new NBA Cup has added some spice to the regular season. Added in 2023 to add more stakes to the regular season, the NBA Cup has since become a staple in the league. Years after its inception, though, teams are still not too sure about the rules. Just ask Los Angeles Lakers center DeAndre Ayton.
With the Lakers up comfortably against the New Orleans Pelicans, Ayton found himself near the basket with just 30 seconds left. The unspoken rules of basketball often dictate that if a team is up, they need to refrain from running up the score. However, that goes out of the window during the NBA Cup.
Ayton had to be reminded by teammate Marcus Smart that he needed to score for the point differential. Afterwards, the Lakers center admitted that he was still a little confused about the rules of the NBA Cup.
“I was a little confused,” Ayton said, via Dave McMenamin. “… Listen here, bro, just trying to get the dub and get up out of here… You see me, I didn’t want to shoot it ’cause I’m like that’s Willie Green. I didn’t really [want to rub it in]. Ain’t we just got to win the game? What does it matter with the points?”
Tiebreakers during the NBA Cup are determined by the point differential of teams. In the event that the Lakers tie with another team in their group, the team with the higher point differential gets the higher seed. In essence, that means that every point matters, as it could be the difference between making the playoffs and not.
Outside of that minuscule hiccup, though, Ayton had himself a great game. The Lakers center finished the game with 20 points, 16 rebounds, two steals, and a block during the game.
The Lakers are looking to reclaim the NBA Cup trophy. They won the inaugural NBA Cup, then named the “In-Season Tournament”, but lost out last season.
