When the groups were announced for the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup, fans looked to see who their favorite team would be matched up with. There are six groups, three in each conference, with five teams per group. In group play, each team plays the other teams in their group once apiece in NBA Cup games.
Looking at East Group C, the Atlanta Hawks certainly didn’t look like the favorites to advance. They found a way to do so though as they became the first team in the East to officially advance to the knockout round of the NBA Cup.
Hawks Are First In East, Third Overall, To Advance In NBA Cup
Hawks Win East Group C In NBA Cup
The Hawks seemed to get a bad drawing when looking at the other teams in East Group C. Yes, the Washington Wizards are a free win on most nights. The Chicago Bulls have been the definition of mid for about half a decade. The other two teams in the group though, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, currently have the two best records in the NBA.
Despite this, Atlanta is the first team to advance through the group stage in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks finished group play with a 3-1 record after their 117-101 victory over the Cavaliers on Friday. Atlanta’s balanced team effort saw three players score at least 20, led by De’Andre Hunter’s 23 points off the bench.
The Hawks 3-1 record equaled what the Celtics did in group play. Atlanta owns the tiebreaker though as they defeated Boston 117-116 in the NBA Cup opener for both teams. The Hawks also defeated the Wizards in group play, with their one loss coming at the hands of the Bulls.
Who Else Has Advanced?
Eight teams advance into the knockout round in the NBA Cup. After Friday’s action, three teams know that they will be a part of the knockout round. Also advancing along with the Hawks are the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets.
The Warriors became the first team to advance after their 112-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on November 22. That moved Golden State’s record to 3-0 in group play. They own the tiebreaker over the second-place team in West Group C, the 2-1 Dallas Mavericks, due to the Warriors 120-117 win over them in NBA Cup play.
Houston meanwhile has won West Group A. They improved to 3-0 in group play by defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 26. In second place in the group is the Portland Trail Blazers at 2-1. Houston easily handled Portland 116-88 on November 22, thus securing the tiebreaker over the Trail Blazers.
One Day Left Of Group Play In NBA Cup
There have been eight teams that have completed their four games in group play. That means there are 22 teams that haven’t, and they will all play on Tuesday, December 3, over 11 games. There are two games where the winner will win their group. In East Group A, both the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks are 3-0 with the two teams squaring off on Tuesday. Likewise for the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons in East Group B.
Both conferences also receive one wild card, the top team that doesn’t win a group. There are officially 13 teams that have been eliminated, meaning theoretically, there are 14 teams that have a shot to earn one of the five spots in the knockout round remaining. One of the teams still technically alive are the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the inaugural NBA Cup last year (was known as the In-Season Tournament then). It would take an absolute miracle though for them to advance as the Lakers finished 2-2 with a -24 point differential.
