The week ahead is a critical stretch for a lot of sports. It\u2019s go time for college football rivalries (pure hatred, in the form of an Old Oaken Bucket) and cranberry sauce (is there a lobbying effort for this replacement-level side dish?). It\u2019s also NBA Cup time, as this week features seven in-season tournament games for the national audience between Tuesday and Friday.<\/p>\n
Maybe it sticks \u2014 football isn\u2019t for everyone, and neither is the procession of giant inflatable animals<\/a>. This week\u2019s NBA schedule is loaded with playoff rematches and style clashes, featuring both the defending champions and the current leading scorer.<\/p>\n Now, to unfurl this massive piece of parchment. NBA Cup group play<\/a> includes four round-robin contests between the six groups (three per conference). The winner of each group advances to the knockout rounds, as do two wild cards (one East, one West). Ties between group records are settled by head-to-head results, then point differential, then total points scored. Knockout quarterfinals are scheduled for Dec. 9 and 10. The semis (Dec. 13) and the finals (Dec. 16) take place in Las Vegas. Friday is the last night of group play.<\/p>\n This is the third installment of the tournament. LeBron James\u2019 Los Angeles Lakers won in 2023, and the Milwaukee Bucks lifted last year\u2019s trophy \u2014 though that was through the services of tourney MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who went down with a groin strain<\/a> last week.<\/p>\n NBA national TV guide<\/p>\n Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub<\/a>.<\/p>\n GameTime (ET)TVStream<\/p>\n Magic at 76ers<\/p>\n 8 p.m., Tue.<\/p>\n NBC, Peacock*<\/p>\n Peacock<\/p>\n Clippers at Lakers<\/p>\n 11 p.m., Tue.<\/p>\n NBC, Peacock*<\/p>\n Peacock<\/p>\n Pistons at Celtics<\/p>\n 5 p.m., Wed.<\/p>\n ESPN<\/p>\n Wolves at Thunder<\/p>\n 7:30 p.m., Wed.<\/p>\n ESPN<\/p>\n Rockets at Warriors<\/p>\n 10 p.m., Wed.<\/p>\n ESPN<\/p>\n Bucks at Knicks<\/p>\n 7:30 p.m., Fri.<\/p>\n Prime<\/p>\n Prime Exclusive<\/p>\n Mavs at Lakers<\/p>\n 10 p.m., Fri.<\/p>\n Prime<\/p>\n Prime Exclusive<\/p>\n *Depending on local market<\/p>\n ESPN also streams on ESPN Unlimited. The rest of the NBA Cup games this week are available for out-of-market fans on NBA League Pass<\/a>.<\/p>\n The current NBA Cup situationEast Group A<\/p>\n East Group A (Group Eh<\/a>) has already been clinched by the upstart Toronto Raptors. And as of Monday, the Indiana Pacers are one of three teams (Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans are the others) officially eliminated from knockout contention, while the Washington Wizards are, for all intents and purposes, out of it at 0-2.<\/p>\n Decider: The Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks are still in contention for the East wild-card spot and will meet Friday at State Farm Arena. Assuming Atlanta beats Washington on Tuesday, the winner of this game could join Toronto in the knockout round.<\/p>\n East Group B<\/p>\n The Orlando Magic, featured on Tuesday, are 2-0 (plus-20 points) in East Group B. The Detroit Pistons are also 2-0 (plus-27). Those two face off Friday in a game that will decide the group winner. The remainders (Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers) are all out of it with two losses.<\/p>\n Decider:\u00a0Orlando at Detroit on Friday. No matter what happens Tuesday and Wednesday, one of those two will have three wins after Friday.<\/p>\n East Group C<\/p>\n Over in East Group C, Milwaukee has spotted itself a 2-0 (plus-16) lead. The Miami Heat (2-1, plus-46) are right behind the shorthanded Bucks. The New York Knicks (1-1, minus-2) hold the tiebreaker over the Heat, thanks to their Nov. 14 head-to-head win. The Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls are each boxed out with multiple Ls.<\/p>\n Deciders:\u00a0It starts with New York at Charlotte on Wednesday. If the Knicks lose, Miami can clinch the group at home against Milwaukee on Wednesday (the Heat would be 3-1, and the Bucks would be 2-1 on the wrong side of that tiebreaker). But if the Knicks win, they can also clinch Group B at home with Friday\u2019s Milwaukee matchup (they\u2019d be 3-1 with direct wins over the other two competitors).<\/p>\n West Group A<\/p>\n Wednesday is Minnesota\u2019s last group stage game. The Timberwolves are 2-1 in West Group A with an impressive plus-53 point ledger. The Oklahoma City Thunder are unbeaten, because of course they are, and so are the surprising Phoenix Suns. Utah and the Sacramento Kings are the group\u2019s two-loss teams.<\/p>\n Deciders: Well, OKC is demolishing any and all challengers these days. If it beats Minnesota and Phoenix handles Sacramento on Wednesday, then the Thunder would host a win-or-go-home contest against the Suns on Friday. If the Wolves and Kings both pull the upsets, then that Friday game would yield a second 3-1 finisher \u2014 Phoenix would have the head-to-head over Minnesota, and Minnesota would have the advantage over Oklahoma City. If all three of those knot at 3-1, it would be decided by point differential.<\/p>\n West Group B<\/p>\n The Lakers and LA Clippers are 2-0 in West Group B. The Memphis Grizzlies still have a chance to topple the Angelenos at 1-1 (plus-9), but the Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks do not.<\/p>\n Deciders: The winner of Wednesday\u2019s crosstown action gets pole position. The Lakers clinch the group if they win that one, because they beat Memphis in their first Cup outing. But if the Clippers win Wednesday, they\u2019d be at 3-1, which would set up a winner-takes-all home game with the Grizzlies on Friday (assuming the latter takes care of the winless Pels).<\/p>\n West Group C<\/p>\n This group has the Portland Trail Blazers (2-1, minus-18) in control of their fate. The Denver Nuggets (2-1, plus-26) and San Antonio Spurs (1-1, plus-10) are in the mix, too. Wednesday\u2019s national TV pairing, the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors, are stuck at the bottom with two losses.<\/p>\n Deciders:\u00a0Portland locks the group up in its own gym Wednesday if it outlasts San Antonio, because the Blazers would be 3-1 with head-to-heads over the Nuggets and Spurs. If the Spurs give the Blazers a second loss, though, they\u2019d force a Group C settling on Friday night with San Antonio at Denver.<\/p>\n Sheesh, that\u2019s a lot! And all the one-loss squads would have wild-card looks as well. The next few days are going to be a sustained head rush. Now, to the national telecasts:<\/p>\n Tuesday, NBC\/PeacockOrlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers<\/p>\n Through Monday, Jamahl Mosley\u2019s crew is 7-3 at home but 3-5 on the road. To be fair, who wouldn\u2019t miss the warm embrace of Stuff<\/a>, the Magic\u2019s dragon? They start the week No. 1 in free throws tried and made per game. They\u2019re great offensive rebounders and relentless second-chance scorers. Paolo Banchero (groin) is out, meaning more sets initiated by Franz Wagner, Masked Dimer<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tyrese Maxey\u2019s recent 54-point gem<\/a> is enough to warrant a watch from Philly. Joel Embiid (knee) has been sidelined since Nov. 8 \u2014 he is officially questionable for Tuesday night \u2014 so Maxey\u2019s green light hums fluorescent. Eight of the 76ers\u2019 first nine wins have come in clutch time.<\/p>\n A former player both teams are thankful for: Dwight Howard<\/p>\n The Athletic\u2019s NBA Cup court ranking: 11. <\/a>\u00a0\u201cThere are too many fonts on this court, but that is my only real complaint. The logo is well used without being obnoxious. The colors complement one another.\u201d \u2014 Eric Koreen<\/p>\n LA Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers<\/p>\n Both are 2-0 in the tournament. But right now, this pairing is like the city\u2019s fish tacos versus its freeway traffic. The Lake Show has a dozen Ws in its opening 16 outings. In that span, Luka Don\u010di\u0107 has leveled up (again) to an NBA-high 34.5 points per game. Vibes are fantastic, even if Luka won\u2019t laminate Austin Reaves\u2019 friendship pass<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the creaky Clippers begin the week at 5-12, 24th in net rating and 29th in pace. At least Kawhi Leonard (ankle\/foot) returned to the fold Sunday, and James Harden had a 55-piece on Saturday. Figueroa Street always gets festive for this intracity clash, no matter how lopsided.<\/p>\n A former player both teams are thankful for: Lamar Odom<\/p>\n The Athletic\u2019s NBA Cup court ranking: 4. <\/a>\u00a0\u201cThe color scheme is a classic. Honoring the championships is wise. The Lakers could have leaned even further into their rich history here, but they did enough.\u201d \u2014 Jay King<\/p>\n Wednesday, ESPNDetroit Pistons at Boston Celtics<\/p>\n In-season tournament games \u2026 on a Wednesday?! A development so disorienting that we get the next two days off work. The current top team in the East plays in a 20,000-person pizzeria (Detroit claimed seven of its first eight games at Little Caesars Arena). The Pistons hit the week with the third-best defensive rating. They won their last tourney game without Cade Cunningham, Tobias Harris, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren. None of them have injury designations as of Monday.<\/p>\n Boston has won four of its last five overall tries, and it leads the league in turnover percentage. The Celtics need get-right home cooking from Derrick White, who\u2019s an unthinkable 35.3 percent from the field so far. Joe Mazzulla would (probably) call \u201cThe Town<\/a>\u201d a holiday movie, and he\u2019d (probably<\/a>) scold us for talking during the florist scene.<\/p>\n A former player both teams are thankful for: Dave Bing<\/p>\n The Athletic\u2019s NBA Cup court ranking: 12. <\/a>\u201cThis court scores points for the simple nods to history. The parquet floor. Red Auerbach\u2019s signature. Bill Russell\u2019s number. That\u2019s a lot of green, but the multiple shades of green here actually work for me.\u201d \u2014 Jay King<\/p>\n Minnesota Timberwolves at Oklahoma City Thunder<\/p>\n A grudge match from last year\u2019s Western Conference finals. A split between the ultra-efficient Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the boundless swagger of Anthony Edwards. Wednesday\u2019s centerpiece has a lot to like, with two top-10 offenses and a slow-build animosity. Could this juggernaut mint something of a basketball treble (NBA Finals, Cup and regular-season record) or make up a super treble (all that plus MVP and No. 1 draft pick!<\/a>)?<\/p>\n A former player both teams are thankful for: Taj Gibson<\/p>\n The Athletic\u2019s NBA Cup court ranking: 27. <\/a>\u00a0\u201cI know teams don\u2019t go for a redesign right after winning a title, but the Thunder\u2019s motif is so sleepy. As soon as I stop looking at it, I forget what it looks like.\u201d \u2014 Eric Koreen<\/p>\n Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a Kevin Durant reunion special, as the Rockets star is dealing with a family issue<\/a>. But it is a re-rack of this spring\u2019s chippy seven-game playoff series, which the Warriors claimed via Buddy Hield Event Horizon<\/a>. Houston opens the week with the most efficient scoring punch in basketball, and it trails only the OKC robot in net rating. The Rockets have Cup losses to San Antonio and Denver, and Steve Kerr does not have a big like Victor Wembanyama or Nikola Joki\u0107 to throw on Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn. Golden State will push from the perimeter. Through 18 games, Stephen Curry paces all shooters in 3s made (4.8) and attempted (11.9) per game.<\/p>\n A former player both teams are thankful for: Mario Elie<\/p>\n The Athletic\u2019s NBA Cup court ranking: 24. <\/a>\u00a0\u201cThis is a big yawn. A big gray W. Black and gray. This is almost a tribute to the Raiders.\u201d \u2014 Jason Jones<\/p>\n Friday, Amazon PrimeMilwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks\u00a0<\/p>\n The Knicks have eight wins in their first nine Madison Square Garden games. They tip off the week at third in offensive rating, and Mike Brown\u2019s stretched-out lineups make for watchable adventures in bucket-getting. Mikal Bridges soaks up minutes like starch on gravy. Jalen Brunson\u2019s floater is parade-eligible. On the other end, it\u2019s now up to Kyle Kuzma, Ryan Hollins and Myles Turner to pick up the extra work, sans-Giannis. The stakes here will be clearer once Wednesday is in the books.<\/p>\n A former player both teams are thankful for: Steve Novak<\/p>\n