The Boston Celtics remain in contention for the NBA Cup following a hard-fought 108-96 victory against the Washington Wizards on Friday night. With this win, the Celtics improved their record in the group stage to 2-1 and raised their point differential to +14, an important factor for tiebreakers in the tournament alongside head-to-head matchups.
In a twist of fate, the Atlanta Hawks, who led East Group C, lost to the Chicago Bulls 136-122 shortly after the Celtics’ victory. With both teams now at 2-1, Boston has an opportunity to surpass Atlanta if they win against Chicago and the Hawks lose to the Cleveland Cavaliers in their final group stage games next Friday.
Fans should note that if the Hawks win against the Cavaliers, they will possess the tiebreaker against the Celtics due to their victory in the NBA Cup opener. Nevertheless, Boston can still advance to the knockout stage even if Atlanta takes the top honors in the group.
In the playoff structure, six group winners, three from each conference, will advance, along with two “wild card” teams, which are the teams with the best records in Group Play that did not win their groups. In the event of ties in record, point differential will serve as the crucial tiebreaker.
With this knowledge, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla may look to emphasize scoring in their upcoming matchup against Chicago. If Boston finishes Group Play at 3-1, they must possess a better point differential than any other 3-1 team in the Eastern Conference that did not secure its group to qualify as a wild card.
As the Celtics prepare for their next two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Clippers at TD Garden, fans can catch the C’s take on the Timberwolves this Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.
Despite the challenges ahead, there’s an optimistic feeling among fans as the Celtics work to solidify their spot in the next round. With a winning mentality and strategic gameplay, Boston is set to make a strong push in the upcoming matches.