The Atlanta Hawks‘ 117-101 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday had plenty of collateral damage in NBA Cup play.
The Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and last year’s in-season tournament runners-up, the Indiana Pacers, were all eliminated from group play after the Hawks improved their record to 3-1 and clinched first place in East Group C.
Charlotte, Brooklyn and Indiana were knocked out anyway with losses on Friday, while Miami’s win didn’t matter with both the Hawks and Detroit Pistons winning. The Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks, both 3-0, will decide East Group B with their matchup on Tuesday.
De’Andre Hunter led the Hawks with 23 points off the bench, followed by Trae Young with 20 points and 11 assists. Jalen Johnson compiled 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Clint Capela added 13 rebounds, while Dyson Daniels swiped three steals.
Cleveland got 29 points from Darius Garland (who shot 5-for-8 on 3s) with Evan Mobley adding 24 points and 13 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell scored 11, shooting 5-for-23, with 11 rebounds and six assists.
Defending champion Lakers on brink of elimination
The inaugural in-season tournament was a bright spot in a rough 2023-24 season for the Los Angeles Lakers. They are not having as easy a time in the second one.
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Lakers 101-93 on Saturday, pushing the defending IST champions to the brink of elimination in Group B. It was a brilliant night from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 36 points, while Isaiah Hartenstein pulled in a season-high 17 rebounds.
The win leaves the Thunder in a good position at 2-1 and the Lakers in a bad one at 2-2. The Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs both sit at 1-1, but with positive point differentials. The Lakers, meanwhile, are sitting at minus-24, which isn’t good when point differential is the second tiebreaker after head-to-head record.
With no more games to play, the Lakers are going to need some help to advance.
Celtics improve to 3-1 in East Group C
The Boston Celtics stayed alive in group play with their 138–129 win over the Chicago Bulls. The Celtics could have been eliminated with a loss, along with Detroit, Atlanta, the New York Knicks and Orlando Magic winning.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 35 points (shooting 4-for-8 from 3) and 14 rebounds, while Peyton Pritchard added 29 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis each scored 21.
The Bulls were paced by Nikola Vučević, who scored 32 points (on 6-for-9 shooting on 3s) with 11 rebounds. Zach LaVine added 29, and Josh Giddey dished out nine assists.
Boston could have clinched East Group C with its win and a Hawks loss. Chicago also could have clinched East Group C by beating the Celtics combined with the Cavs’ loss. But neither scenario occurred.
Knicks 3-0 in group play
The Hornets were eliminated from group play for the NBA Cup in-season tournament with a 99–98 defeat to the New York Knicks on Friday.
Charlotte was led by Brandon Miller‘s 20 points with Josh Green adding 15. Tidjane Salaün contributed 14 points with eight rebounds, while Moussa Diabaté grabbed 11 boards.
The Hornets were without LaMelo Ball, who missed the game due to illness. Ball had averaged 40 points over his past four games, including a 50-point effort last Saturday versus the Bucks. For the season, he’s averaging 31.1 points, which likely would have made a difference in a one-point game.
Jalen Brunson scored 31 points (going 4-for-6 on 3s), six rebounds and six assists to lead New York. Karl-Anthony Towns followed with 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, while Josh Hart added 13 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Miles McBride tallied 14 points off the bench.
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