NBA Notebook: In-Season NBA Cup Tournament showing mixed results into year two

The Celtics face a simple clinching scenario to reach their second straight NBA Cup after beating the Wizards on Friday night. If they beat the Bulls in Chicago on Friday and the Cavaliers defeat the Hawks in Atlanta, Boston will win its group despite suffering a stunning defeat to the Hawks without Trae Young to begin the tournament earlier this month. Their sluggish performance in that game, and falling behind by double-digits in Friday's visit to Washington, resurfaced questions from the In-Season Tournament's first year about how much true contenders would value the trophy.

The Lakers won the Cup last year with limited fanfare before losing 4-1 in the first round, the in-season title not enough to save head coach Darvin Ham's job. The Pacers, who shocked the Celtics at home in the knockout round to secure their spot in the Las Vegas final four, lost to LA and later credited their run as preparation for the playoffs, where they upset the Bucks in round one after seeing them in the Cup before beating the Knicks and pushing the Celtics in the closest east finals sweep you'll ever see. 

"I think we definitely thought we were going to Vegas last year," Jrue Holiday said on Friday. "Everybody had packed and had the intent of going to Vegas. I think we were a little disappointed we didn't make it. That could've helped us." 

The Celtics will live with their NBA championship, and while Al Horford sat out Friday's game with an illness, his careful management continuing through the regular season, Boston experimented with lineups. Neemias Queta started, Luke Kornet replaced him after halftime and Xavier Tillman Sr. returned to the rotation late. When the Wizards took their centers off the floor late, Jayson Tatum slid to center. Washington, trailing by five points with 43 seconds left, fouled to test their late-game execution. Jordan Poole split a pair of shots as the Wizards fouled three more times, Boston's advantage mounting to eight. Washington sent Tatum to the line with 11 seconds left, so when Kyle Kuzma missed on the ensuing possession, the Celtics called timeout with seven seconds left. The Wizards fouled again after the in-bounds, so Boston won by 12, stealing seven points for their differential. 

The group's tiebreaker will come down to head-to-head, but if Boston takes care of business in Chicago and Atlanta defeats Cleveland, the Celtics will move into a tie with whatever other teams finish 3-1 in group play for the east's lone wild card. Boston badly needed to run up the score in Washington, losing to the Hawks by one and escaping a late Cavs rally with a three-point win on Tuesday. They would've only boasted a +7 point differential if they beat the Wizards by five. Instead, they're competitive at +14. It's fitting that their group play run finishes against the Bulls, who play the Wizards on Tuesday and could also move to 2-1. Last year, Joe Mazzulla called for the Celtics to intentionally foul Andre Drummond in their group play finale, scoring a 27-point win that featured a tense exchange between Mazzulla and Billy Donovan on the sideline. 

"It's an opportunity to win, that's the most important thing," Mazzulla said on Tuesday, quipping 'who said that?,' when asked why the NBA Cup matters. "That's the goal that we have ... it presents an opportunity for us to go after something, to win something. To me, over the course of a long season, it presents something good can come from it. If you lose, you're pissed off, because you didn't achieve your goal of winning. If you win, you achieved your goal of winning." 

Mazzulla has expressed mixed reactions to the Cup, embracing it when Boston gets caught up in the competition of the game while asking for alterations in future versions of the tournament. Like Adam Silver, who drew inspiration from European soccer mid-season tournaments in dreaming up the NBA Cup, Mazzulla loves soccer but wants the NBA's version to better emulate Europe's. He wants the tournament to be separated from the regular season schedule. As it stands, the four group play games count toward your normal record, as do the first and second knockout rounds. The championship, an 83rd game for the two teams that make it, does not impact either team's record. The winning team receives $500,000 per player, along with an allotment for their coaching staff. Beyond that, the stakes haven't been clear or impactful to NBA fans. 

The league scheduled Cup games on Tuesday and Friday, trying to market those days in November and December leading up to the Vegas slate as tournament days. Not every team plays on every day though, and some have faced their Cup rival in non-Cup games alongside Cup ones in the same week. The brightly-colored floors returned from last year to hammer home the Cup games, perhaps the most effective marketing tool that got people talking. The reception has steered negative, courts like Boston's neon green one making little sense historically and uplifting their classic parquet. 

Mazzulla also wants to see multiple tournaments, European countries hosting some while the larger Champions League incorporates matchups across country lines before the knockout round. Jake Fischer reported this week that the NBA originally considered including two European teams in its tournament, while international play would recall the controversial debate started by USA runner Noah Lyles, who argued the NBA champion can't be the world champion. Integrating that league pride to the competition could provide a boost, however challenging it would prove logistically, while appealing to the NBA's desire to expand internationally. 

Other potential stakes like an automatic playoff berth for the winner appear less likely, leaving the tournament in flux for the foreseeable future. For now, it's simply worked to provide at least some value to lackluster early-season matchups and an intriguing mix of up-and-coming teams with the league's best into the knockout stage. The Warriors became the first to clinch a spot in this season's tournament. The Bucks (+26) and Pistons (+4) could both enter their finale on Friday 3-0 with Group B on the line. As could the Knicks (+14) and Magic (+37) with Group A on the line. The Hawks (-1), Celtics (+14), Cavs (+15), Bulls (-4) and Heat (+13) all have one loss, though as many as three of them could be eliminated from wild card contention this week. 

Out west, the 2-0 Rockets (+49) have a strong hold on Group A, the 2-0 Lakers (+11) could return to the tournament while the Clippers (-5), Blazers (-14), Wolves (-14), Thunder (+10), Spurs (+1), Suns (-8) and Mavericks (+41) all have strong paths remaining to either their groups or the wild cards. Only the Pelicans have been officially eliminated from the knockout round league-wide. 

"Anything to try to increase viewership is what the goal is for the NBA and the NBPA," Jaylen Brown said on Friday. "We had to do something and this was the start of that journey. Hope we'll get some better feedback after this year. It's still early, it's only two years in, but we're still adjusting ... we'll see. We'll see as time goes by." 

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week...

Atlanta (7-10, 2-1 Cup): Lost emphatically to the Bulls on Friday for their first NBA Cup defeat after the Warriors blew them out to conclude Atlanta's west coast swing. The Hawks began the week stealing a late win at Sacramento, a rare victory for the east against the west, with the east's collective record now 22-41 against their rival conference. Dyson Daniels' breakout season continued with a walk-off steal against the Kings. He's now averaging 3.2 SPG. The Hawks conclude their NBA Cup group play against the Cavs on Friday, owning a tiebreaker over Boston for Group C and a -1 point differential.

Boston (13-3, 2-1 Cup): Scored a pair of close Cup wins over the Cavs and Wizards to stay alive in the race for Vegas, which Jrue Holiday said on Friday that the team wants to accomplish, running their point differential up to +14 at Washington. The team visited the White House while in DC on Thursday, touring the building before Joe Biden commended the team's starters and Joe Mazzulla for building the NBA's greatest offense on a points-per-possession basis. Kristaps Porziņģis practiced with the Maine Celtics opposite of Xavier Tillman Sr. on Monday, who joined him to provide competition. Those who watched were impressed and the sense is that Porziņģis, who was scheduled for a December return, could be back sooner rather than later. Boston finishes the NBA Cup schedule in Chicago on Friday after hosting the Timberwolves and Clippers in a back-to-back on Sunday and Monday. 

Cleveland (16-1, 2-1 Cup): Lost their first game of the season at Boston after a 15-0 start, though they were missing Max Strus, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade and Caris LeVert at the wing while Sam Merrill played through his own ailment. Cleveland came back to within one possession several times in the second half after trailing by as many as 21 points through a 17-of-25 start from three by the Celtics. They beat Neemias Queta's lineup badly, putting him in the action while Al Horford's throwback performance thwarted the Cavs' starting minutes. Darius Garland's 3-for-21 performance disappointed while Donovan Mitchell out-scored Jayson Tatum and Evan Mobley flourished, the latter's a major takeaway from their second-round loss to Boston in May. The Celtics' win awarded them a Cup tiebreaker over the Cavs in their group before they meet again in Cleveland one week from tomorrow, Dec. 1. 

Dallas (9-7, 2-1 Cup): Life without Luka Dončić began with a win, 123-120, over the Nuggets to keep Dallas' Cup hopes alive. Dončić (wrist) will be evaluated in one week, which potentially sets him up to return for the Mavs' group play finale against the Grizzlies. Dončić called the injury nothing serious after Dallas beat New Orleans by 41 points on Tuesday, scoring a significant point differential advantage in the west wild card hunt. PJ Washington's 22 points led the Mavs without Dončić in Denver, including scoring nine of the team's 15 points on their closing run. Klay Thompson (0-8 FG) has struggled recently, falling to 38.1% from the field for the season. Brian Windhorst reported that Kyrie Irving is happy in Dallas ahead of potential free agency. 

Denver (8-6, 1-2 Cup): Nikola Jokić returned from a personal absence with 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in the Nuggets' loss to the Mavs, returning him to focus in the MVP race after Jayson Tatum likely slid ahead of him by playing more games. Denver's middling record could later impact Jokić too, as head coach Michael Malone flashed more frustration on Friday, playing Russell Westbrook in the fourth quarter over Christian Braun. 

“I think a lot of guys exhaled cause Nikola's back,” Malone said. “They expected Superman to carry the day, and that's not fair. Do your own job. Everybody's gotta do their job. Nikola obviously showed once again why he's the best player in the world. Misses a week of basketball, three games, and goes out and gets a triple-double.”

Detroit (7-10, 2-0 Cup): Cade Cunningham (hip) exited Thursday's thriller against the Hornets after falling hard on his back during a late layup. The Pistons lost in overtime and Cunningham will miss their next game at Orlando, but they reached their seventh win on Nov. 17, something they didn't do until Feb. 7 after their historic losing streak one year ago. Cunningham has averaged 23.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 8.9 APG on 43.8% shooting this year. 

Golden State (12-3, 3-0 Cup): Clinched Group C in the NBA Cup with a win over the Pelicans on Friday, becoming the first of eight teams to clinch their spot in the knockout stage of the tournament. Golden State will likely host a first-round game in the west when the Cup continues in December. The win also moved them atop the west's regular season standings ahead of the Thunder. De'Anthony Melton (ACL) will undergo season-ending surgery. 

Houston (12-5, 2-0 Cup): Reportedly uninterested in dealing for Giannis Antetokounmpo if he becomes available this season, mirroring earlier reports that the Rockets are focused on building around their young core rather than trading for an established star. They've built one of the best defenses in the NBA to begin this season, and wins over the Bulls, Pacers and Blazers this week made them winners in eight of their last 10 games. They're third in the west and could clinch a spot in the NBA Cup with a win over the Timberwolves on Tuesday. 

Indiana (6-10, 0-2 Cup): Eliminated from the Cup and left wondering what went wrong to begin this year after a Cup finals run catapulted them to the east finals last year. Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman's season-ending injuries have hurt, forcing the team to sign Moses Brown from the G-League earlier this week, but Tyrese Haliburton's struggles have baffled most. He reportedly dealt with a back injury early on this year, and after Friday's loss to the Bucks where he shot 6-of-14, he sat on the edge of tears. This season, he's averaging 15.5 PPG while shooting 37.8% from the field and 29.4% from three. Indiana has correspondingly fallen to 17th in offense from the top of the league. 

Clippers (10-4, 1-1 Cup): Beat the Jazz, Warriors, Magic and Kings, the latter keeping their NBA Cup hopes alive, as they've scored four straight wins and 8-of-10. Norman Powell's hot start to the season, James Harden's passing and Ty Lue's continuously effective coaching have kept the Clippers afloat with Kawhi Leonard out and no return in sight. Despite that, the Intuit Dome has looked awfully empty most nights since its opening. They've won seven straight there, Powell scoring 23.3 PPG while shooting 48.7% from three on 7.9 attempts per game. Ivica Zubac posted another double-double in Friday's win, posting 15.1 PPG and 12.5 RPG so far. They visit Boston on Monday in a back-to-back situation where the Celtics will probably lack Al Horford. 

Lakers (10-5, 2-0 Cup): Lost to the Magic to end a six-game win streak where Dalton Knecht's emergence (46.1% 3PT) and Anthony Davis' continued MVP-level play have powered them alongside another hot shooting season from LeBron James (43% 3PT). James dunked on Jonathan Isaac in Thursday's close loss to the Magic, losing on a Franz Wagner go-ahead three with 2.5 seconds left. They beat the Sixers, Raptors, Grizzlies, Spurs, Pelicans and Jazz over the prior two weeks, a softer yet badly needed stretch of consistency from a team that looked like they'll inevitably need some mid-season changes. Rui Hachimura (ankle) will return from his ankle sprain this weekend while Jaxson Hayes (ankle) could follow soon after. Christian Wood (knee) and Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) will miss multiple more weeks coming back from surgery. 

Milwaukee (7-9, 2-0 Cup): Back in the playoff picture after beating their rival Pacers, who they lost to in last year's NBA Cup east final. Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the league in scoring (32.4 PPG), adding 37 more in Friday's win alongside 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Big Bobby Portis (7-12 FG) and Gary Trent Jr. (6-10 3PT) nights off the bench need to continue as Andre Jackson Jr.'s presence in the starting lineup has proven helpful despite his almost complete lack of a scoring game. In another positive development, the team cleared Khris Middleton (ankle) this week after increasing his on-court activity and three-on-three success. He remains without a return date. 

"He's looked good," Doc Rivers said on Wednesday. "He's working his butt off. Listen, I think he's close. And he's just going to keep working. This is the best I've seen him, I will say that."

Minnesota (8-7, 1-1 Cup): Anthony Edwards returns to TD Garden, after two thrilling matchups with Jayson Tatum and trash talk featured in the Starting 5 documentary, as the most prolific volume three-point shooter in the league. Edwards is taking more than half his attempts (11.1) every night behind the line, converting 43.1% after only shooting 35.7% on six attempts each night in 2024. He's talked about pulling from Kevin Durant and other elite shooters while playing for Team USA over the summer. The Wolves have played inconsistently otherwise early this season, Julius Randle trying to fit into the flow of their offense while Jaden McDaniels, Mike Conley and Donte DiVincenzo have struggled from three. Minnesota ranks 10th in offense and 13th in defense, taking a serious step back in the latter category from No. 1 status last year.

New Orleans (4-13, 1-2 Cup): Free-falling season due to injuries continued when Zion Williamson (hamstring) did not respond to multiple treatments on his injury, leaving him sidelined indefinitely beyond his initially expected mid-December return date. He's only played six games this year. Elsewhere on the roster, Yves Missi (shoulder), Herb Jones (shoulder), CJ McCollum (thigh), Dejounte Murray (hand), Jose Alvarado (hamstring) and others have dealt with injuries, leading New Orleans to start Elfrid Payton, Brandon Boston Jr., Javonte Green, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Missi earlier this week. Brandon Ingram's return didn't help Friday, and they've lost 9-of-10. On Friday, Williamson parted ways with long-time agency CAA and his agent Austin Brown. 

New York (9-6, 2-0 Cup): Jalen Brunson continues to lead the Knicks through roster turnover and injury, moving into a tie with the Magic for third in the east on Wednesday with their fourth straight win. He scored 36 points with 10 assists to escape a shootout with the Suns, while New York posted 30+ assists in each of the games during their win streak, something they hadn't done in four straight nights since 1980. Cam Payne is settling into his bench scoring role. New York rose above Boston in offense (No. 2).

Oklahoma City (12-4, 1-1 Cup): Isaiah Hartenstein returned from his hand injury on Wednesday to make his Thunder debut, coming off the bench while Oklahoma City started small again. He scored 13 points with 14 rebounds over 29 minutes, giving the Thunder some badly needed size after injuries to Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams left them without a center for several games while Hartenstein's recovery finalized. Alex Caruso left the win over Portland with an aggravated hip injury. 

Orlando (10-7, 2-0 Cup): Scored their seventh win over their last eight, sustaining Paolo Banchero's (oblique) loss surprisingly well despite their 25th-ranked offense. They're one of the best defenses in the league again (3rd) and Banchero could return relatively soon, telling Andscape that being on the bench with the first major injury of his life has been frustrating, though he feels on track to return before Christmas. The Magic ruled him out for 4-6 weeks after he tore his oblique late last month. 

"I don’t know how guys do that," Banchero said. "I really don’t because it drives me crazy just being on the bench. But you got to do it. That’s been the hardest part, just having to sit there every game."

Philadelphia (3-12, 1-2 Cup): Another drama-filled week ended in a win after the Sixers scratched Joel Embiid from Friday's game with knee swelling that'll force him to sit on Sunday as well, and likely beyond that. Paul George fell with another bone bruise in his left knee that forced him to miss the start of the season, leaving Tyrese Maxey and soaring rookie Jared McCain to beat the Nets. Maxey, George and Embiid have only played six minutes together this season, and during an extended team meeting following their loss to Heat on Monday, Maxey challenged Embiid's professionalism, calling for him to stop impacting the locker room and coaching staff with his tardiness. Embiid, furious, is reportedly trying to find out who leaked the details of the meeting, which Kyle Lowry reportedly set up. McCain is averaging 16.5 PPG so far.

Phoenix (9-7, 1-1 Cup): Have a five-day break to get Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal back for a Tuesday meeting with the Lakers if they get through 5-on-5 play comfortably during Sunday's practice. The Suns have lost five straight without Durant and 6-of-7, falling to 14th in offense alongside their 20th-ranked defense. The lull calls their depth into question, particularly with Durant and Beal missing time with injuries across multiple seasons. They allowed 58% shooting in Thursday's loss to New York. 

Portland (6-10, 1-1 Cup): A competitive group that featured Donovan Clingan blocking a shot in all 16 games, breaking Bill Walton's team record of 15 straight games to begin his career with a block in 1975. Between Deandre Ayton, the energy Robert Williams III has provided since returning and Clingan, Portland boasts one of the best rim protecting defenses in the league. They've struggled with better competition though, losing to the Rockets in a blowout on Friday in Anfernee Simons' return from injury. 

Toronto (4-12, 0-2 Cup): A pleasant surprise through various injuries to begin this year, including Scottie Barnes' orbital fracture that he returned from on Friday to beat the Timberwolves with 17 points. The Raptors nearly shocked the Celtics without him last Saturday, forcing overtime before Jakob Poeltl reached 35 points pouring in floaters over Boston's defense into the extra frame. Joe Mazzulla called him a bear after, explaining how he could beat whatever defensive look the Celtics threw at him before Jayson Tatum broke a tie at the buzzer with a game-winning three that the last two minute report later called a travel. It was Tatum's first buzzer-beating winner since 2023. The Raptors are also close to returning Bruce Brown (knee) once his ramp-up concludes while Kelly Olynyk (back) also returned to practice this week. Immanuel Quickly (elbow) will remain out into December. 

Washington (2-12, 0-2 Cup): Led the Celtics by as many as 11 points on Friday behind Malcolm Brogdon's 18 points in a spot start, making only his third appearance with his new Wizards team after injuring his hand during the preseason. Brogdon praised his new Wizards organization and left any frustration with the trade that sent him to Portland from Boston for Jrue Holiday last October in the past. Friday marked the first time he played against the team he won Sixth Man of the Year with in 2023 after struggling with injuries in his lone Blazers season. Portland traded him to Washington as part of the Deni Avdija trade, Brogdon discussing his transition to a leadership role.

"Guys get traded every year,” Brogdon said. “I think for teams, a lot of the time, it’s not personal, it’s a business decision. For players, it is personal. You’re uprooting your family at the end of the day. You’re moving to a new city. You’re having to adjust to a new situation, but honestly, it was a good trade for them and we’ll both be good in the long run. I’m not even in a position where I even talk about it. I’ve made peace with the situation and moved on. I’m in a good place now.”