NBA In-Season Tournament: What’s at stake this week

Six teams that are unbeaten and six that have yet to win have given the In-Season Tournament Group Play standings some shape. Fifteen of the remaining 23 games will be played this week — five on Tuesday, 10 more on Friday — with group winners, wild-card spots and tiebreakers all in play.

The Lakers already have a $166.5 million player payroll but the lure of $500,000 per man — and whatever prestige would come from snagging the inaugural NBA Cup — seem to have their undivided attention. At the other end Washington, Detroit, San Antonio and Memphis are doing about as well in the Tournament as they are overall in 2023-24.

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Game of the week

Utah at L.A. Lakers, Tuesday (10 ET, TNT)

History is on the line, as the Lakers attempt to become the first In-Season Tournament team to go undefeated through group play. OK, that probably should be history with a lowercase “h,” but still… LeBron James and his ‘mates have put themselves in great position to head to Las Vegas and, in fact, get there as NBA Cup favorites. They’ve got the Jazz in L.A., first of all. Even though Utah is 2-1 in this tournament, it is 4-9 overall to the Lakers’ 8-6. The Lakers have the tournament’s biggest point-differential advantage (+42) if it comes down to that second tiebreaker. With all that said, the Jazz simply have to win this game to edge ahead, because head-to-head in group play is the first tiebreaker.  

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What’s at stake this week in the East

Here’s a breakdown of each group’s upcoming week.

East A

• Indiana (2-0): The Pacers lead the Tournament in scoring, averaging 126.5 points after beating Cleveland and Philadelphia. That doesn’t mean much after two games but would come into play as the third tiebreaker — total points — if they sustain it through four. Their point-differential is 11, which ranks ninth so far. Keep an eye on guard Tyrese Haliburton as an inaugural In-Season Tournament MVP candidate.

• Philadelphia (2-1): The Sixers wrap up Group Play vs. Cleveland on Tuesday, then immediately begin a stretch of four road games in their next five, playing at Minnesota on Wednesday. Joel Embiid’s numbers through three games (34.7 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 5.7 apg) are better across the board than what he posted in earning last season’s Kia MVP award.

• Cleveland (1-1): The Cavaliers have won four of their last five games overall, including victories over Tournament rival Detroit on Friday and the reigning NBA champs (Denver) on Sunday. They did it without Donovan Mitchell, too, with their scoring leader out with a right hamstring strain. He will have had six days of rehab since injuring it on Nov. 15 on the last of Cleveland’s four-game West trip.

• Atlanta (1-1): The Hawks can match Indiana in Group A if they beat the Pacers Tuesday at State Farm Arena and do so by, er, 15 points. That’s the points gap between the teams. Dejounte Murray leads Atlanta at 22.5 ppg through two games and Trae Young is at 22.0, but they rank 36th and 39th, respectively, on the list of Tournament scoring leaders.

• Detroit (0-3): The Pistons have bigger concerns than the Tournament, losing 11 in a row before facing Denver Monday night. They’ll complete their Group Play portion Friday at Indiana, then play three of four at home while awaiting their non-qualifiers schedule.

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East B

• Milwaukee (2-0): Their point differential of +36, second to the Lakers’ +42, was built primarily on the Bucks’ blowout victory at Charlotte on Friday. But they have been playing better lately, a little more in sync between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. A Washington-Boston trip on Monday and Wednesday pushes to the background Milwaukee’s next Tournament game vs. the Wizards on Friday.

• Miami (2-0): The Heat are shooting 54% in Tournament play, which is the best in the league and one of nine teams making at least half their shots to this point. (In its other 11 games, Miami is shooting 44.7%, which would rank 26th.) The game Friday at Madison Square Garden against Group B rival New York will be the Heat’s fourth of five in a row on the road.

• New York (1-1): The Knicks will be at home for their final two Group Play games, facing Miami on Friday and Charlotte next Tuesday. Their point differential of +16 is third best in the East, should tiebreakers be needed to determine quarterfinalists. New York’s alternate court of these games is predominantly orange but that shouldn’t be a problem for viewers. As guard Jalen Brunson said, the basketball isn’t “really orange. It’s used.”

• Charlotte (1-2): The Hornets are paused from In-Season Tournament play this week, and likely out of the next round altogether. Their -30 point differential essentially came in their defeat last week to Milwaukee. The league’s 30th-ranked defense overall means no Vegas next month.

• Washington (0-3): Who says the Wizards have nothing left to play for in the Tournament? Even if they go winless, if they keep their game Friday at Milwaukee close they might prevent their point-differential (-35) from ballooning past San Antonio’s current -52.

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East C

• Boston (2-0): Fortunately for the Celtics and for the Tournament’s reputation, Jaylen Brown didn’t miss any time after slipping on the Raptors’ alternate court Friday in Toronto. Brown complained about the slickness of the floor afterward. He has been Boston’s best scorer (25.5 ppg) in its two Group Play games.

• Brooklyn (2-1): The Nets have only one Tournament game left (next Tuesday vs. Toronto). Mikal Bridges’ 17.7 ppg ranks 66th among Tournament scorers, but seven Brooklyn players are averaging 10+ points.

• Orlando (1-1): The Magic beat the Bulls twice in three nights in Chicago, with the second one on Friday counting as a Group Play win. Their No. 1 status in defensive rating failed them at Brooklyn, though, leaving them -14 in points despite their .500 record. Orlando’s final two Tournament games are at home.

• Toronto (0-1): Anyone who ever has shown up late to a party can relate to the Raptors. They were the last team to dip a toe in the Tournament waters, so they have three Group Play games to go. That means at Orlando on Tuesday and home vs. Chicago on Friday.

• Chicago (0-2): The Bulls have been Jekyll & Hyde this season, with the Tournament no exception. In their two first halves, they have an offensive rating of 93.8 and a -18.8 net rating. In the second halves, it is 118.9 and +7.2 respectively. They’re in Toronto on Friday.

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What’s at stake this week in the West

Here’s a breakdown of each group’s upcoming week.

West A

• L.A. Lakers (3-0): How driven has LeBron James been to lead the Lakers to Las Vegas? At age 38, his stats through three Group Play games (27.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 7.0 apg, 60% shooting) are better than his career numbers in those categories. The team is just as primed, ranking 23rd (110.4) and 13th (112.1) overall on offense and defense, respectively, but 2nd (123.9) and 10th (109.6) in those categories in Tournament play.

• Utah (2-1): The good news for the Jazz? They are done with Phoenix in Group Play. Utah suffered two losses to the Suns in 48 hours, the first a Tournament game and the second merely their fifth consecutive loss to Phoenix. It doesn’t help that center Walker Kessler (left elbow sprain), who has missed each Tournament game so far, will miss the finale against the Lakers, too.

• Phoenix (1-1): For a team playing without a traditional point guard, the Suns are doing fine. They rank second in assists-to-turnover ratio (2.59) in Group Play, and Kevin Durant and Devin Booker have combined for 29 assists and just six turnovers. The Suns wrap up this week vs. Portland and at Memphis.

• Portland (1-2): The Blazers have hit only 28.8% of their 3-pointers in the Tournament, one of four teams in Group Play making fewer than one-third of their arc attempts (the Hornets, Rockets and Pistons are the others). The Blazers are shooting the worst overall as a result (41%), wrapping up their participation Tuesday at Phoenix.

• Memphis (0-3): The Grizzlies have a hard enough time getting free points anytime, but their average of free throw attempts drops from 19.5 per game overall to a meager 12.7 in three Tournament defeats.

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West B

• New Orleans (2-1): The Pelicans can win out Friday against the Clippers in Los Angeles (after losing their Tournament opener). They rank fifth in Group Play defensively at 106.2 but could stand some improvement in rebounding (23rd, 48.7%).

• Denver (2-1): Nuggets coach Michael Malone was asked about the single-elimination Knockout Round and what that might suggest for a tighter rotation, and he answered “When we get to Vegas, I’ll worry about that then.” What he really meant was “if,” because even a 3-1 finish could have Denver vying for a wild-card spot via tiebreakers.

• Houston (1-1): The Rockets play Denver Friday and Dallas next Tuesday in the finales for both opponents. Houston could be more than just spoilers with a pair of victories. Its much-improved defense — from 29th last season to fourth in 2023-24 — has been even stingier in Group Play.

• Dallas (1-2): Getting spanked by 21 points at New Orleans last week in their most recent Tournament game has the Mavericks out of sorts. And out of Las Vegas expectations with seven teams in front of them for a wild-card spot as this week began.

•  LA Clippers (1-2): James Harden and the Clippers clicked when his late 4-point play iced their first Tournament victory Friday. It’s too late to get them to the quarterfinals but it was a step in the right direction after six consecutive losses.

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West C

• Sacramento (2-0): Either the Kings or the Timberwolves will be 3-0 and on their way to the Group C title after their game in Minneapolis on Friday. The Kings have looked a little different in the small sample size of the Tournament, ranking fourth defensively and 18th offensively, compared to 14th and 11th in the regular season. De’Aaron Fox scored 43 points with eight rebounds and seven rebounds in Sacramento’s most recent Tournament game.

• Minnesota (2-0): The Wolves are hot, Tournament or not, winning nine of their past 10 games entering Tuesday. While Anthony Edwards has been Minnesota’s top offensive threat this season, Karl-Anthony Towns has been the guy in two Tournament games, averaging 31 ppg on 23.5 shots to Edwards’ 24 ppg on 18.5.

• Golden State (1-1): The Warriors won their first Group Play game on Nov. 3 to improve to 5-1. When they lost their most recent last Tuesday, they dropped to 6-6. Underperforming mates such as Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have meant asking Stephen Curry to carry more at age 35 than he had to in his prime.

• Oklahoma City (1-2): If it seems as if something is amiss here, it is. The Thunder are playing from down under (.500, that is) yet they hold a +27 point differential. That’s what a 36-point thrashing of the woeful Spurs can do for a team.

• San Antonio (0-3): With only their Group Play finale left Friday at Golden State, the Spurs can dig deeper for an inaugural In-Season Tournament record point differential. They’re already at -52 and have dropped four in a row to the Warriors dating back to April 2022.

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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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