The Boston Celtics continue to pursue their ambitions in the NBA Cup following a crucial win against the Washington Wizards on Friday night. The Celtics secured a 108-96 victory, improving their record to 2-1 in the group stage and boosting their point differential to +14, a significant factor in the tournament as it serves as a tiebreaker alongside head-to-head matchups.
This victory comes at a strategic moment; shortly after the Celtics’ win, the Atlanta Hawks, currently leading East Group C, also dropped to 2-1 after losing 136-122 to the Chicago Bulls. This development opens the door for the Celtics to potentially claim the top spot, provided they defeat Chicago and Atlanta succumbs to the Cleveland Cavaliers in their final group stage match next Friday.
The stakes are high. If Atlanta manages to beat Cleveland, they will secure the tiebreaker due to their previous victory over Boston in the opening match of the NBA Cup. Nevertheless, the Celtics can still progress to the knockout stage, even if the Hawks ultimately win the group.
In the structure of the tournament, along with the six group winners—three from both the Eastern and Western Conferences—two “wild card” teams will also advance based on having the best records amongst those who did not win their groups. In cases of tied records, point differential will play a crucial role in deciding which teams move forward.
Given the competitive nature of the tournament, one can anticipate that Celtics’ head coach Joe Mazzulla will encourage a strong performance against Chicago in order to improve Boston’s point differential. Achieving a 3-1 record in Group Play may be necessary for the Celtics, especially if the Hawks take the group lead. This could lead to a wild card opportunity for Boston, contingent on having a better point differential than any other 3-1 teams in the Eastern Conference who did not win their respective groups.
The Celtics will momentarily step away from the NBA Cup, as their upcoming games will be against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Clippers at TD Garden. Their next matchup against the Timberwolves is scheduled for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.
In summary, the Celtics remain in the thick of the competition and have a solid chance to advance further in the tournament, depending on their performance in the upcoming games. With determination and strategy, the team can harness their momentum and continue to fight for their spot in the knockout rounds.