Who else is in the running for the quarterfinals?

The NBA Cup is always a delicate balance for the Major Leagues, which injects a different format into the heart of the regular season, and is clearly not an easy one to navigate…

Let’s start with certainty: with their four wins in East Group A, Raptors (4-0) thus qualify for the quarterfinals, and will have the advantage of receiving during this meeting. Only in the West Lakers (3-0) are officially qualified, even if they still have to play a match, because they are guaranteed to finish first in Group B, having already beaten the Grizzlies (2-1) and the Clippers (2-1).

So there are six spots left to take. And it will all be decided on Friday night, after the short Thanksgiving break, for the final day of the group stage competition.

in the east, Raptors will therefore finish first in Group A. In group B, everything will depend on the results of the meetings between them Magic (3-0) i Clips (2-1), which have the advantage of receiving. The winner will indeed finish in first place, while Detroit will be eliminated if they lose, and Orlando will have to cross their fingers if they fail, to be the best second…

Finally, in group C, Heat (3-1) will have to wait for the result of the meeting between Nix (2-1) i Bucks (2-1). At home, New York has the advantage and will finish first in its group, thus advancing to the quarterfinals, in the event of a win against Milwaukee, as Mike Brown’s team has already beaten Miami. If they beat Doc Rivers, they will finish second, having lost to Miami.

Orlando, second best in the East?

Along with the Raptors, the Pistons and Knicks have the best chances to finish first in their respective groups, and therefore to advance to the quarterfinals. Fourth place will be the best second out of three groups. And thanks to a very big win against the Sixers, Orlando (+61) has a huge edge in points average against Miami (+49), Cleveland (+33) or Milwaukee (+13).

In the West, first place in Group A will be decided in a head-to-head match Thunder (3-0) i The sun (3-0), played in Oklahoma City. THE Lakers (3-0) have already qualified for Group B, while the first place in Group C will go to them Nuggets (2-1) or Spurs (2-1), who face off in Denver.

The loser of this matchup, however, will be eliminated as the best second in the West will be the team with the best “point average” between the loser of the matchup of the Thunder (+71) and the Suns (+35), and the winner of the matchup of the Grizzlies (+9) and the Clippers (-15). Oklahoma City and Phoenix are therefore at a huge advantage.