The Warriors are now 3-0 in NBA Cup games, making them the first team to clinch a spot in the knockout round of the in-season tournament. As the NBA announced late on Friday night after Golden State beat New Orleans and Dallas beat Denver, the Warriors have won West Group C, officially securing a quarterfinal berth for December.
The 3-0 Warriors are one game ahead of the 2-1 Mavericks in the NBA Cup standings, while no other team in their group has more than one victory. That means the Mavs are the only West Group C club with a chance to match Golden State’s win total, and the Dubs would hold the tiebreaker in that scenario due to beating Dallas last Tuesday in their NBA Cup opener.
The winners of the six groups advance to the eight-team knockout round, along with one “wild card” from each conference. The Mavs have a good chance to be that wild-card team in the West if they defeat Memphis on Dec. 3 since their +41 point differential in NBA Cup contests is the second-best mark in the league. Point differential is the second tiebreaker after head-to-head results.
The Rockets (Group A) and Lakers (Group B) are the only two other Western Conference teams that are undefeated in NBA Cup play. If they can keep winning, they will join the Warriors in the quarterfinals.
Over in the East, the Hawks (2-1) could clinch Group C with a win over Cleveland next Friday. If Atlanta loses, a Celtics victory over Chicago on the same night would secure the group for Boston. There are still two undefeated teams in East Group A (Magic, Knicks) and East Group B (Bucks, Pistons).
