NBA Cup — Day 6

 Hello, I’m Carlos Andres Segrera, and this is the NBA from the mind of a high schooler.

After a Thanksgiving with no basketball, all-day hoops hit different yesterday. I was at the golf course till about 2 yesterday, so I only watched the last bit of Knicks-Hornets, but after that, I was locked in for the rest of the day.

Yesterday was the second-to-last day of NBA Cup group play, and by far the most important. Almost all standings have been set, and for those groups that are yet to be decided, the stage has been set for Tuesday.

Starting the day off at noon was the Knicks and the Hornets. The Knicks had a scary-high 19 turnovers but were able to pull out this game behind Jalen Brunson’s 31, 6, and 6, winning 99 to 98. Brunson also clutched up for my fantasy team. KAT continued his great play with 19 and 12. For the Hornets, Brandon Miller had a team-high 20 but did so on 7-for-25 from the field and 2-for-11 from downtown. The rookie Tidjane Salaun had a good game but airballed a three at the end of the 4th that would have kept the Hornets in things. The new Hornet Josh Green had a solid game overall but had a few jaw-dropping moments. Green had 4 points in the span of a few seconds; he got a bucket and stole the inbound, getting a fade-off as the first-half buzzer went off. With 3 seconds left, Green put up a corner three that put the Hornets down just one. They would have fouled the Knicks and tried for another three to tie, but Green’s three rolled around the rim till the horn sounded, not giving Charlotte enough time to steal the game. 

The Magic dominated the Nets, winning 123 to 100. Franz Wagner, who has been on one as of late, dropped 29, 8, and 8. The Magic have won 11 of their last 12 and are sure to be even scarier when Paolo returns. For the Nets, it was Shake Milton off the bench with 22. It was a pretty game from both sides, with efficiency being found for both teams. It was the Magic defense, which has been the best in the league the last 12 games, that won them the game.

Both the Magic and the Knicks are 3-0 in East: Group A. From that group, the 76ers, Nets, and Hornets have all been eliminated. The 76ers and Charlotte matchup Tuesday in an insignificant game as far as the Cup goes, but it matters when it comes to regular season records. Also this Tuesday, Orlando and New York face off, where the winner will advance past group play.

The Pistons, who were one of the worst teams in NBA history last year, are 3-0 in the NBA Cup and dominated last year’s runner-ups in a 130 to 106 victory over the Pacers. In Cade Cunningham’s return from injury, he had 24, 11, and 6. He wasn’t even the team’s highest scorer; that title goes to Malik Beasley, who had 25. Jaden Ivey wasn’t far behind those two with 23 of his own. The Pacers had 8 guys with 9+, with Pascal Siakam leading the charge with 21. The Pacers shot effectively but just couldn’t hang with the Pistons, who shot 58% from the field and 47% from three.

The Miami Heat ended up taking home a ten-point dub against the Raptors, 121-111. The game ended up not mattering in Cup play since the Pistons won, but it was still a great win for the boys down in South Beach. Scottie Barnes and Bam Adebayo both ended up with triple-doubles in the gritty matchup. (Both guys are on my fantasy team, so the triple-doubles were very helpful as I’m on the road to winning the league that I got second in last year.)

Similar to East: Group A, East: Group B will be decided by a head-to-head matchup to take place on Tuesday. The Bucks and Pistons, who are both 3-0, hope to move past group play. From this group, the Heat, Raptors, and Pacers have all been eliminated.

The second game of the day was between the Hawks and the Cavs. Defying all odds, the Hawks beat the Cavs for the second game in a row, pushing the Cavs to 17-3 on the season. Evan Mobley tried to will the Cavaliers to victory in this game, but Donovan Mitchell made that very hard for him, shooting 5-for-23. Spida, who started off the game jump shot-heavy, continued that way despite his abysmal percentages. Mitchell, who we know can get a bucket at the rim—or at the very least draw a foul—was insistent on relying on his shot.On the Hawks' side, everyone played their role nicely, but there were three guys that truly impressed me. Trae Young, coming off a 20-20 game, dropped 21 and 11. Jalen Johnson had an electric 20, 9, and 7 on 9-for-14 shooting. Off the bench, De’Andre Hunter reminded us why he was the fourth overall pick just five years ago, dropping a highly efficient 23 and 5. The Hawks won 117 to 101 and clinched East: Group C.

The Celtics are too good, man. They didn’t play a lick of defense last night, but with their full roster available, they coasted to a 9-point victory over the Bulls. Tatum had 35 with 14 rebounds, and the rest of the Celtics' starters had 11+. Off the bench, Pritchard had 29 on video game efficiency. The C’s moved calmly on the court last night and, despite Jaylen Brown shooting 7-for-21 from the field, won 138 to 129. For the Bulls, it was Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine who led the team. Vuc had 32 and 11, and Zach 29. The Bulls' front office is laughing in their black leather chairs as LaVine and Vucevic bring up their trade value.

As previously mentioned, the Hawks clinched East: Group C, but the Celtics could get a bid into the next phase via a wildcard spot; that is contingent on how Tuesday’s games go. The Bulls, Wizards, and Cavs are all eliminated from the Cup.

Over in the western hemisphere of the United States, the first matchup of the night was between the Grizzlies and the Pelicans (neither of the cities they play in are very western). The Grizz won 120 to 109. The Pelicans, who have been the most injury-ridden team in the league this year, had some guys actually play for them last night and were finally able to put together a real starting lineup and move Elfrid Payton to the bench. C.J. McCollum and Dejounte Murray suited up for them last night and had some monstrous performances. 3J had a 30-bomb, and Dejounte and Trey Murphy had 21 each. On the winning side of things, Ja Morant had 27 and 7. Ja shot 0-for-4 from three but was still able to go 10-for-18 from the field. Jaren Jackson Jr. tacked on 23, and Santi Aldama, who has been keeping Memphis in a lot of games while the team was dealing with injury, had 20.

This was the only game from West: Group C last night. The Pels were eliminated, and the Warriors clinched, but the Grizzlies, Mavs, and Nuggets could all still come away with a wildcard spot.

In an ugly, inefficient affair, the Timberwolves beat the Clippers 93 to 92. The game-high scorer was Anthony Edwards, who had 21 on 7-for-21 shooting. Four of his seven shots were three-pointers. Gobert had 12 rebounds, and Randle and Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 10 apiece. You know the game was bad when I’m talking about how many rebounds people had. On the Clippers' end, Harden had 20, 11, and 6 on 7-for-20 shooting. Zubac was, in my opinion, the best player last night. Zu had 16 points and 13 boards on 8-for-9 shooting. Truly a pro’s pro. Down the stretch, the Clippers only made one basket over the last four minutes (of course it was none other than Zubac), and that left the door open for the Timberwolves to take the game.

The Sacramento Kings, who have been less than great this season, especially since DeMar DeRozan’s injury, lost 106 to 115 to the Trail Blazers in sad fashion. Five players had 14+ for the Blazers and shot 12 more FG’s than the Kings. Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox had 21 and 22 points respectively, but one played much better than the other. Sabonis tacked on 14 rebounds and 11 assists to his 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting, while De’Aaron had 5 turnovers to pair with his 21 points and shot 8-for-18 from the field. Off the bench, Malik Monk had 29, hitting 8 of his 15 threes.

West: Group A has already been clinched by the Rockets, but the Blazers and Clippers both have a shot at the wildcard. This is contingent on who wins between the Blazers and Clippers next Tuesday. There is no shot we see either the Timberwolves or the Kings in the next round of Cup play.

In the most highly anticipated game of the night, the Thunder beat the Lakers 101 to 93. Despite the 8-point difference in score, it was a close matchup throughout. Shai had 37, 6, and 9, leading both teams in scoring. The rest of the Thunder roster, which went 12 guys deep, helped with accessory work. AD had 15, 12, and 7, and Dalton Knecht led the team with 20. When taking a look at percentages, you would think the Lakers would have taken this one, but the Thunder shot 20 more field goals than them. The score was 92 to 91 with right around a minute and a half left, but Shai hit a three, J-Dub had a steal that led to a dunk, and some free throws were knocked down to ice the game.

West: Group B is still up for grabs with only the Lakers and Jazz out of contention. The Spurs and Phoenix match up Tuesday with the Thunder taking on the 0-3 Jazz. Tuesday will decide who wins the division.

That’s going to cap this Cup recap. You’ll hear from me next Tuesday.

Thank you.