The Boston Celtics remain in contention for the NBA Cup following a hard-earned victory against the Washington Wizards on Friday night, where they secured a 108-96 win. This victory improves their record in the group stage to 2-1, showcasing a point differential of +14, which could be crucial in deciding their fate in the tournament.
In a turn of events shortly after Boston’s win, the leading team in Group C, the Atlanta Hawks, suffered a setback with a 136-122 loss to the Chicago Bulls. This outcome opens the door for Boston to potentially claim the top spot in the group if they defeat Chicago and Atlanta loses to the Cleveland Cavaliers in their upcoming matches next Friday.
However, should Atlanta win against Cleveland, they will hold the tiebreaker over Boston due to their earlier victory over the Celtics in the opening match of the NBA Cup. Nevertheless, the Celtics could still advance to the knockout stage, even if the Hawks win the group.
The competition format allows for the six group winners—three from the Eastern Conference and three from the Western Conference—to progress to the next round, along with two “wild card” teams that boast the best records without winning their groups. In cases of tied records, point differential serves as the first tiebreaker. Given this scenario, we can expect Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla to aim to maximize the team’s score against Chicago next Friday in a strategic effort to enhance their point differential.
In the interim, the Celtics will take a break from the NBA Cup, with their next two matchups set against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Clippers at TD Garden. The Celtics are scheduled to face the Timberwolves on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET, which will air on NBC Sports Boston.
This ongoing competition emphasizes resilience and strategy, and the Celtics have shown their capability to adapt under pressure. Fans can look forward to an exciting finish to the group stage, as Boston aims to harness their momentum and secure a spot in the knockout stage of the tournament.