NBA Cup: Hawks’ win knocks out 6 teams as Thunder pushes Lakers to brink of elimination

On By Littum

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

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

Charlotte, Brooklyn and Indiana were all knocked out with losses on Friday, while Miami’s win didn’t matter as both the Hawks and Detroit Pistons won. The Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks, both 3-0, 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 had 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, shot 5-for-23, with 11 rebounds and six assists.

The season opener was a bright spot in a tough 2023-24 season for the Los Angeles Lakers. They don’t have it so easy in the second.

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 had a season-high. 17 rebounds.

The win leaves the Thunder in a good position at 2-1 and the Lakers in a bad position at 2-2. The Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs are both tied 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 for head-to-head record.

With no more games to play, the Lakers will need help moving forward.

The Boston Celtics stayed alive in the group stage with their 138-129 win over the Chicago Bulls. The Celtics could have been eliminated with a loss, along with Detroit, Atlanta, the New York Knicks and the Orlando Magic winning.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 35 points (shooting 4-for-8 from 3) and 14 rebounds, while Peyton Pritchard added 29 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis each scored 21.

The Bulls were paced by Nikola Vučević, who scored 32 points (on 6-for-9 shooting on 3-pointers) with 11 rebounds. Zach LaVine added 29 and Josh Giddey dished out nine assists.

Boston could have won East Group C with its win and a Hawks loss. Chicago could also have won East Group C by beating the Celtics combined with the Cavs’ loss. But neither scenario took place.

The Hornets were eliminated from the NBA Cup this season with a 99-98 loss to the New York Knicks on Friday.

Charlotte was led by Brandon Miller’s 20 points, while Josh Green added 15. Tidjane Salaün contributed 14 points with eight rebounds, while Moussa Diabaté grabbed 11 boards.

The Hornets were without LaMelo Ball, who missed the game due to illness. Ball had averaged 40 points over his past four games, including a 50-point effort last Saturday against the Bucks. For the season, he is averaging 31.1 points, which likely would have made a difference in a one-point game.

Jalen Brunson had 31 points (going 4-for-6 on 3s), six rebounds and six assists to lead New York. Karl-Anthony Towns followed with 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, while Josh Hart added 13 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Miles McBride had 14 points off the bench.