NBA Cup: Hawks’ win knocks out 6 teams, while Thunder push Lakers to brink of elimination

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The Atlanta Hawks’ 117-101 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday had plenty of collateral damage in NBA Cup play.

The Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and last year’s NBA Cup runners-up, the Indiana Pacers, were all eliminated from group play after the Hawks improved their record to 3-1 and clinched first place in East Group C.

Charlotte, Brooklyn and Indiana were knocked out anyway with losses on Friday, while Miami’s win didn’t matter with both the Hawks and Detroit Pistons winning. The Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks, both 3-0, will decide East Group B with their matchup on Tuesday.

De’Andre Hunter led the Hawks with 23 points off the bench, followed by Trae Young with 20 points and 11 assists. Jalen Johnson compiled 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Clint Capela added 13 rebounds, while Dyson Daniels swiped three steals.

Cleveland got 29 points from Darius Garland (who shot 5-for-8 on 3s) with Evan Mobley adding 24 points and 13 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell scored 11, shooting 5-for-23, with 11 rebounds and six assists.

Defending champion Lakers on brink of elimination

The inaugural in-season tournament was a bright spot in a rough 2023-24 season for the Los Angeles Lakers. They are not having as easy a time in the second one.

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Lakers 101-93 on Saturday, pushing the defending IST champions to the brink of elimination in Group B. It was a brilliant night from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 36 points, while Isaiah Hartenstein pulled in a season-high 17 rebounds.

The win leaves the Thunder in a good position at 2-1 and the Lakers in a bad one at 2-2. The Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs both sit at 1-1, but with positive point differentials. The Lakers, meanwhile, are sitting at minus-24, which isn’t good when point differential is the second tiebreaker after head-to-head record.

With no more games to play, the Lakers are going to need some help to advance.

Celtics improve to 3-1 in East Group C

The Boston Celtics stayed alive in group play with their 138–129 win over the Chicago Bulls. The Celtics could have been eliminated…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-cup-hawks-win-knocks-out-6-teams-while-thunder-push-lakers-to-brink-of-elimination-040705254.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-11-30 04:07:00

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