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Fifteen matches this week will propel the Emirates NBA Cup towards clarity and a tough slate on December 3 to complete the NBA Cup Group Play stage. Five games Tuesday and another ten Friday could even determine some quarterfinalists before the eleven games scheduled for the final night.

Notice we said: 11. In a perfect world, all 30 NBA teams would play next Tuesday to build maximum excitement toward that final night – and they would all tip off at the same time so no one could calculate the point differential tiebreaker and play if necessary.

But if each conference (15) and each group (five) have an odd number of teams, it is impossible for everyone to play and each match to count towards cup qualification. Blame it on math.

Eight teams will complete their group work by the end of Friday. Like the rest of us, they will be spectators on December 3, awaiting their fate and marching orders.

Game of the Week: Cavs vs. Hawks (November 29)

The TNT doubleheader Tuesday — Milwaukee at Miami (7:30 PM ET), followed by the Los Angeles Lakers in Phoenix (10 AND) – is compelling for reasons both related and unrelated to the Cup Chase.

But in their post-Thanksgiving matinee at State Farm Arena (2:30 PM ET, NBA TV), the Hawks could pull off the improbable by clinching a berth in the Dec. 10-11 knockout round. Winning Friday would have given them the East C title outright as, despite their current 7-11 record, they would have defeated both of the bracket’s powerhouses, the Celtics and the Cavs. To lose? Atlanta would finish 2-2, needing help from the Bulls and the Wizards and still likely to fail a three-team tiebreaker.

What’s at stake in the East this week?

Here’s an overview of each group’s upcoming week.

East A

Orlando Magic (2-0)

By the time the Magic face Brooklyn on Friday, there will be two weeks between Cup games. Then Orlando Group Play concludes four nights later against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, capping off nearly a week in New York (it plays the Nets again on Sunday).

New York Knicks (2-0)

The final hurdle in the Knicks’ five-game road trip is the stop in Charlotte on Friday. East A’s crown could then hinge on the Dec. 3 clash with the Magic.

Philadelphia 76ers (1-2)

With only the group finals in Charlotte next week, the Sixers’ aspirations in Vegas are vague. Either the Magic or Knicks will finish with three wins, and Philadelphia ranks ninth in points differential heading into the East’s wild-card tiebreaker.

Brooklyn Nets (1-2)

Cam Thomas has stepped it up in Cup games, averaging 30.5 ppg on 59.5% shooting, compared to 24.7 ppg on 46.1% overall. He’ll get his fourth chance on Friday in a big game against the Magic.

Charlotte Hornets (0-2)

With their two group games behind them, the Hornets will have a post-Thanksgiving matinee against New York as the first of their two home games. Charlotte’s net rating of -13.1 is the worst yet in the NBA Cup.

East B

Milwaukee Bucks (2-0)

The Bucks play at Miami on Tuesday in a rivalry that transcends East B, then play just one game – at home against the Wizards on Saturday – before wrapping up Group Play in Detroit next week. Khris Middleton, who has been recovering all season from surgery on both ankles, is expected back soon.

Detroit Pistons (2-0)

The Pistons rank 12th defensively this season, but fifth in Cup play. Their rating in the small group improved from 111.9 to 104.3. They face Indiana on Friday, hoping to reverse their 115-109 loss on Opening Night.

Miami Heat (1-1)

The Heat took their first two group games in the first week and now close out by hosting the Bucks and the Raptors this week. If Miami wins both, it could emerge as group champions and quarterfinalists, either outright or via a tiebreaker.

Toronto Raptors (0-2)

The Raptors are 1-10 on the road with their non-Cup loss at the buzzer in Detroit on Monday. They have two more road games coming up this week: Wednesday in New Orleans and their third East B game in Miami on Friday. They close out group play against Indiana on Dec. 3 at home, where the Raptors are 4-4.

Indiana Pacers (0-2)

Someone else will fill Indiana’s role as the young team that fast-tracks its timeline — reportedly — with spirited play in the Cup tournament. The Pacers have lost to the Bucks and the Heat. They play host to Detroit and then travel to Toronto on December 3 as part of a four-game trip.

East C

Atlanta Hawks (2-1)

Atlanta had a chance to control East C until it was defeated by the Bulls in Chicago on Friday. The group final is no bargain, as the game against the Cavaliers is the second of a home-and-home vs. Cleveland.

Boston Celtics (2-1)

Of the five teams that played two cup matches last week, the Celtics were the only ones to win 2-0. They could know their fate for the quarterfinals as soon as Friday, when they close out in Chicago, while Atlanta welcomes the Cavaliers.

Cleveland Cavaliers (1-1)

Cleveland ranks first offensively in Cup play, but 26th defensively, down from first and ninth this season. Kenny Atkinson’s side will look to tighten things up against the Hawks on Friday before wrapping up against the Wizards next week. Pardon the Cavs if they’re distracted by the game in between: the Celtics visit Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Sunday.

Chicago Bulls (1-1)

The Bulls earned their first Cup victory in six tries (dating back to last season’s tournament) on Sunday, stopping Atlanta. Their final two games this year are in Washington on Tuesday, followed by Boston at United Center on Friday.

Washington Wizards (0-2)

The Wizards snap an 11-game losing streak Tuesday in their third East C challenge vs. Chicago. They are on a six-match losing streak in the cup dating back to the 2023 edition.

What’s at stake in the West this week?

Here’s an overview of each group’s upcoming week.

West A

Houston Rockets (2-0)

If that’s what they need to break a tie, the Rockets have a fat cushion of +49 in points differential, are top of the league and after two games are better than any of the eight teams that have played three. Three of the next four are on the road, including the Cup finals in Minnesota on Tuesday and in Sacramento on December 3.

Portland Trailblazers (1-1)

The Blazers have just two players – Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe – who barely crack the Top 100 in Cup average (15.0). But as they have all season, they have seven players averaging over 10 points. Portland suffered a loss to Memphis on Monday and will play at Indiana on Wednesday before its next Cup game on Friday vs. Sacramento.

Minnesota Timberwolves (1-1)

Taking care of Cup business this week at Target Center against Houston and the Clippers would mean two masters for Minnesota: Give them a shot in the knockout round while soothing the pain of their current 2-5 slump. Point guard Mike Conley was sick (toe) – the Wolves won the two recent games he played, but lost three he didn’t.

LA Clippers (1-1)

The Clippers are trying to chase the Rockets, to whom they lost in their Cup opener. That led to five straight wins and stingier defense (96.8 points allowed during the streak). They play Minnesota at the end of a four-game trip before wrapping up at home against Portland next week.

Sacramento Kings (0-2)

De’Aaron Fox is averaging a league-best 44.5 points and shooting 58.2% from the field in two Cup games. But the Kings lost both, to the Wolves and at the Clippers, and are ranked 22nd offensively and 18th defensively. Their overall season placings are 11th and 15th.

West B

Los Angeles Lakers (2-0)

The defending cup champions defeated Spurs and Jazz to win their first two group games. The foes get tougher this week when the Lakers play in Phoenix on Tuesday and at home against Oklahoma City on Friday. Anthony Davis has increased his stats to 33 ppg, 13 rpg and 58.5% shooting in Group Play.

San Antonio Spurs (1-1)

No Victor Wembanyama, no problem. The big guy’s absence didn’t stop the Spurs from earning their first-ever Cup win by beating OKC in San Antonio. They face an opponent Tuesday in Salt Lake City against an opponent against whom Wembanyama averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds while totaling 27 blocked shots in five games.

Oklahoma City Thunder (1-1)

The Thunder can flip the script in this group if they can beat the Lakers on Friday. That would position them for a potential 3-1 scoreline with the head-to-head advantage over LA. OKC closes against Utah on December 3.

Phoenix Suns (1-1)

Losing twice – by 10 when scoring 99 against Orlando, and then by 16 when giving up 138 against New York – is an unwise way to start a six-game homestand. The Suns are at home for their final Cup games against the Lakers on Tuesday and against the Spurs on December 3.

Utah Jazz (0-2)

The Jazz are looking to snap their first two-game winning streak of the season in their group game against visiting San Antonio. Home cooking wasn’t good: Utah scores less, shoots worse and lines the line less often at the Delta Center than anywhere else.

West C

Golden State Warriors (3-0)

The Warriors are inactive in Group Play and will face the Nuggets next week. They’ll play Denver for the first time this season (and don’t meet until March) with a shot at 4-0 on Tuesday.

Dallas Mavericks (2-1)

The Mavericks have Memphis at home on Tuesday, but are at a disadvantage after losing the group opener against Golden State on November 12. That is the first tiebreaker to advance to the knockout round. Luka Dončić averages 28.5 points in the first three, but shoots 27.8% on three-pointers.

New Orleans Pelicans (1-2)

An 0-2 week in group play saw the Pelicans struggle to 1-10, now 1-11 since Nov. 3 after Monday’s loss at Indiana. Zion Williamson’s absence is the obvious problem: New Orleans is 2-4 when he plays and 2-9 when he doesn’t. And he’s still out indefinitely with a left hamstring strain.

Denver Nuggets (1-2)

No Vegas in the Nuggets’ immediate future after their 1-1 week, and their blowout loss to New York on Monday opened a new can of worms: Denver is just 5-4 at home, which is where they’ll wrap up Group Play on December 3. vs. Golden State.

Memphis Grizzlies (0-2)

Memphis is 11-5 in non-group play, but that won’t advance the Grizzlies to the knockout round. They close the tournament against New Orleans on Friday and then at Dallas on December 3. The franchise is still looking for a cup win two years later.

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Steve Aschburner has been writing about the NBA since 1980. You can send him an email herefind his archive here And follow him on X.

The views expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.