NBA Cup standings are coming together. Eight teams will advance past the Group Phase and to the Knockout Rounds; the winners of each group and one wild card team from each conference with the best in-season tournament record. The slate of games on Friday, Nov. 29, will play a big part in deciding who will advance to the next round of the NBA Cup, so check out the article below to learn everything that you need to know about those games.
Friday, Nov. 29 NBA Cup schedule
New York Knicks @ Charlotte Hornets at 12 p.m. ET
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Atlanta Hawks at 2:30 p.m. ET
New Orleans Pelicans @ Memphis Grizzlies at 5 p.m. ET
Orlando Magic @ Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Clippers @ Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:30 p.m. ET
Detroit Pistons @ Indiana Pacers at 8 p.m. ET
Toronto Raptors @ Miami Heat at 8 p.m. ET
Boston Celtics @ Chicago Bulls at 8 p.m. ET
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Los Angeles Lakers at 10 p.m. ET
Sacramento Kings @ Portland Trail Blazers at 10 p.m. ET
How to watch NBA Cup games
Two NBA games will be nationally broadcast on ESPN on Friday, Nov. 29. Those two games are the Los Angeles Clippers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves showdown and the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers matchup. The other games will be broadcast locally or viewable on NBA League Pass.
*NBA Cup games can be watched on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
NBA Cup standings
West Group A
Houston Rockets: 3-0
Los Angeles Clippers: 1-1
Portland Trail Blazers: 1-1
Minnesota Timberwolves: 1-2
Sacramento Kings: 0-2
West Group B
Phoenix Suns: 2-1
San Antonio Spurs: 2-1
Los Angeles Lakers: 2-1
Oklahoma City Thunder: 1-1
Utah Jazz: 0-3
West Group C
Golden State Warriors: 3-0
Dallas Mavericks: 2-1
New Orleans Pelicans: 1-2
Denver Nuggets: 1-2
Memphis Grizzlies: 0-2
East Group A
Orlando Magic: 2-0
New York Knicks: 2-0
Philadelphia 76ers: 1-2
Brooklyn Nets: 1-2
Charlotte Hornets: 0-2
East Group B
Milwaukee Bucks: 3-0
Detroit Pistons: 2-0
Miami Heat: 1-2
Toronto Raptors: 0-2
Indiana Pacers: 0-2
East Group C
Chicago Bulls: 2-1
Boston Celtics: 2-1
Atlanta Hawks: 2-1
Cleveland Cavaliers: 1-1
Washington Wizards: 0-3
Eastern Conference storylines (first set of games)
A grand total of seven Eastern Conference NBA Cup games will be taking place on Nov. 29. The first game of the night will actually start mid-day. That game is between the New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets. LaMelo Ball has been on a tear this season. The guard has been a highlight waiting to happen all season, and it has led to 31.1 points per game, which ranks second in the NBA. The Knicks will try to make life on Ball hard, though, with Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby taking turns guarding Ball while Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson carry the scoring bulk.
While the Cleveland Cavaliers’ historic undefeated streak has come to an end, they are still 17-2 and on a legendary pace right now. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are playing elite offense, and the twin tower duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are locking down the paint on defense. The rest of the team is knocking down all of their shots, too.
The Cavaliers are still shooting 41.5% from deep as a team. Their NBA Cup opponent is the Atlanta Hawks, who just upset the Cavs on Wednesday night. Trae Young can knock down his fair share of threes as well and handed out 22 assists in Wednesday’s matchup, but it is Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson who deserve more recognition. Daniels is one of the best players in the NBA now, and Johnson does a little bit of everything for Atlanta.
Two of the most injury-depleted teams will also face each other in the NBA Cup. The New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies have both been bitten by the injury bug, but the Grizzlies are finally getting back to full strength. Zion Williamson has notably been out through the Pelicans’ struggles, though, and he will miss this game, too.
Another team that just received unfortunate injury news was the Brooklyn Nets. The team has been reliant on Cam Thomas’ scoring pop this season, but the guard is now expected to miss roughly a month with a hamstring injury. Their opponent, the Orlando Magic, are still without their best player (Paolo Banchero), though.
Eastern Conference storylines (second set of games)
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There is one Western Conference game at 7:30 p.m. ET before three more Eastern Conference games take place. At 8 p.m. ET is the Detroit Pistons vs. Indiana Pacers. After being one of the worst teams with the worst losing streak in NBA history last season, the Pistons are turning heads this year. Meanwhile, the Pacers have been a dissapointment after making the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
The Toronto Raptors will also take on the Miami Heat. This game could see the season debut of Bruce Brown. The do-it-all guard has been much-missed in Toronto’s rotation, and he could provide the team with a much-needed boost of energy.
The final Eastern Conference game of the night is between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls. The Celtics are the defending champions, and they’ve looked the part so far this season. Now, Kristaps Porzingis has returned from injury, making the team even scarier than they already were before.
Western Conference storylines
Although the NBA Cup will be jam-packed with Eastern Conference games, there are some intriguing games out West, too. One such game is between the Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota hasn’t looked like the same team that made the Western Conference Finals last season, and now fans are questioning the Karl-Anthony Towns trade that brought in Julius Randle. Kawhi Leonard has been out for the Clippers, but Norman Powell has stepped up in his absence in a big way when he has been on the floor.
The Oklahoma City Thunder also play the Los Angeles Lakers. The Thunder have thrived despite injuries to centers Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams, and Isaiah Hartenstein, but the latter of those bigs is back in action now, which will be huge for slowing down Anthony Davis. The Lakers big man is having one of his best seasons to date, and the Lakers have looked like a different team with Dalton Knecht starting. The rookie’s three-point shooting has been a blessing for LA.
The other game closing out the night is between the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers. The Kings are still working out the kinks with their new big three of De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and DeMar DeRozan, while the Trail Blazers are teetering back and forth between rebuilding and mediocrity.
Predictions
New York Knicks beat the Charlotte Hornets 123-119
Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Atlanta Hawks 133-124
Memphis Grizzlies beat the New Orleans Pelicans 127-110
Orlando Magic beat the Brooklyn Nets 118-107
Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Clippers 120-114
Indiana Pacers beat the Detroit Pistons 119-112
Miami Heat beat the Toronto Raptors 120-109
Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 134-118
Los Angeles Lakers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-116
Sacramento Kings beat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-117
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