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NBA Cup clinching scenarios for Tuesday's games: Who is in and out before the knockout rounds?
As we prepare for the final day of group play in the NBA Cup, only three teams have punched a ticket to the next round and five spots remain.
We know the Hawks (shockingly!), Rockets, and Warriors will all advance to the knockout phase of the tournament. But three of the other groups yet to have a winner while both the West and East wild card spots are still open as well.
Each group winner moves on to the next round, and one wild card from each conference advances as well.
With some very important games left on the last day of group play in the second year of this experiment by the league, here is how it all looks to play out:
East: Group A
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | DIFFERENTIAL | IN/OUT |
Orlando Magic | 3 | 0 | 60 | Alive |
New York Knicks | 3 | 0 | 15 | Alive |
Philadelphia 76ers | 1 | 2 | -9 | Out |
Brooklyn Nets | 1 | 3 | -39 | Out |
Charlotte Hornets | 0 | 3 | -27 | Out |
Orlando and New York play each other at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. The winner will advance out of Group A. Orlando would likely advance through the wild card with a loss, though New York would hav a much tougher chance due to their point differential.
IMPORTANT GAME: Magic @ Knicks (7:30 p.m. ET on TNT)
East: Group B
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | DIFFERENTIAL | IN/OUT |
Milwaukee Bucks | 3 | 0 | 29 | Alive |
Detroit Pistons | 3 | 0 | 28 | Alive |
Miami Heat | 2 | 2 | 20 | Out |
Toronto Raptors | 0 | 3 | -28 | Out |
Indiana Pacers | 0 | 3 | -49 | Out |
Milwaukee and Detroit play each other on Tuesday night, and the winner will officially take Group B. Both are still alive as potential wild cards with a loss, too, but need a better overall point differential than the Celtics and the loser of New York and Orlando.
IMPORTANT GAME: Bucks @ Pistons (7:00 p.m. ET)
East: Group C
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | DIFFERENTIAL | IN/OUT |
Atlanta Hawks | 3 | 1 | 15 | Clinched Group |
Boston Celtics | 3 | 1 | 23 | Alive |
Chicago Bulls | 2 | 2 | 6 | Out |
Cleveland Cavaliers | 1 | 2 | -1 | Out |
Washington Wizards | 0 | 3 | -43 | Out |
Atlanta has already won this group and with the exception of the Celtics, every other team is eliminated. Boston could come out in the wild card spot, but it will depend on point differential.
IMPORTANT GAME: N/A
East: Wild Card
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | DIFFERENTIAL | IN/OUT |
Orlando Magic | 3 | 0 | 60 | Alive |
Milwaukee Bucks | 3 | 0 | 29 | Alive |
Detroit Pistons | 3 | 0 | 28 | Alive |
New York Knicks | 3 | 0 | 15 | Alive |
Boston Celtics | 3 | 1 | 23 | Alive |
Orlando or New York will advance out of group play, and so will either Detroit and Milwaukee. Between the losers of those games, and the Celtics, the team with the best point differential of that bunch will earn the wild card.
IMPORTANT GAME(S): Bucks @ Pistons (7:00 p.m. ET), Magic @ Knicks (7:30 p.m. ET on TNT)
West: Group A
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | DIFFERENTIAL | IN/OUT |
Houston Rockets | 3 | 0 | 49 | Clinched Group |
Portland Trail Blazers | 2 | 1 | -5 | Alive |
Minnesota Timberwolves | 2 | 2 | -13 | Out |
L.A. Clippers | 1 | 2 | -6 | Alive |
Sacramento Kings | 0 | 3 | -25 | Out |
Houston has already won this group, but Portland and L.A. are both potentially able to advance via the wild card based on how their game goes at the Intuit Dome on Tuesday.
IMPORTANT GAME: Trail Blazers @ Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET)
West: Group B
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | DIFFERENTIAL | IN/OUT |
San Antonio Spurs | 2 | 1 | 14 | Alive |
Oklahoma City Thunder | 2 | 1 | 18 | Alive |
Phoenix Suns | 2 | 1 | 19 | Alive |
Los Angeles Lakers | 2 | 2 | -24 | Out |
Utah Jazz | 0 | 3 | -27 | Out |
This is arguably the most fun group left because three teams all have a chance to win the group and the two that do not can still advance via wild card seeding.
IMPORTANT GAME(S): Jazz @ Thunder (8:00 p.m. ET), Spurs @ Suns (9:00 p.m. ET)
West: Group C
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | DIFFERENTIAL | IN/OUT |
Golden State Warriors | 3 | 0 | 12 | Clinched Group |
Dallas Mavericks | 2 | 1 | 41 | Alive |
Denver Nuggets | 1 | 2 | 2 | Alive |
Memphis Grizzlies | 1 | 2 | -6 | Alive |
New Orleans Pelicans | 1 | 3 | -49 | Out |
Golden State has already won this group, but three other teams still have a real chance to advance based on the remaining games. The other games give the remaining teams a chance in the wild card, though.
IMPORTANT GAME(S): Grizzlies @ Mavericks (8:30 p.m. ET), Warriors @ Nuggets (10:00 p.m. ET on TNT)
West: Wild Card
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | DIFFERENTIAL | IN/OUT |
Dallas Mavericks | 2 | 1 | 41 | Alive |
Phoenix Suns | 2 | 1 | 19 | Alive |
Oklahoma City Thunder | 2 | 1 | 18 | Alive |
San Antonio Spurs | 2 | 1 | 14 | Alive |
Portland Trail Blazers | 2 | 1 | -5 | Alive |
Denver Nuggets | 1 | 2 | 2 | Alive |
Memphis Grizzlies | 1 | 2 | -6 | Alive |
L.A. Clippers | 1 | 2 | -6 | Alive |
One of the teams from Group B (San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Phoenix) will not need a wild card berth but instead advance from winning their group. Otherwise, while Dallas has the best chance of any team to win the wild card, there are plenty of other teams statistically still able to clinch a spot into the knockout rounds.
IMPORTANT GAME(S): Jazz @ Thunder (8:00 p.m. ET), Grizzlies @ Mavericks (8:30 p.m. ET), Spurs @ Suns (9:00 p.m. ET), Warriors @ Nuggets (10:00 p.m. ET on TNT), Trail Blazers @ Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET)
This article originally appeared on For The Win: NBA Cup clinching scenarios for Tuesday's games: Who is in and out before the knockout rounds?
