Kevin Pelton, ESPN Senior Writer
The second edition of the in-season tournament known as the Emirates NBA Cup begins on Tuesday. All 30 teams will play four group stage games over the next few weeks with a chance to advance to the finals and, ultimately, the championship game, which will be played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on December 17th.
The Los Angeles Lakers won the first NBA Cup behind the efforts of LeBron James, but losing in the first round of the 2024 playoffs means they will be eager to win in the single-elimination tournament in December. , whose subsequent postseason success proved much different.
Conversely, last year’s runner-up Indiana Pacers used their unexpected success in the NBA Cup as a springboard for a long playoff run, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals before defeating eventual champion Boston Celtics. lost to Su.
Let’s analyze which teams are most likely to follow in the footsteps of the Lakers and Pacers, utilizing ESPN’s Basketball Power Index to generate expected odds to emerge as group winners. We’ll also assess which teams in each conference have the best chance of clinching a wild card spot heading into Las Vegas.
Jump to group:
East Group A (CHA, BKN, NYK, ORL, PHI)
East Group B (DET, IND, MIA, MIL, TOR)
East Group C (ATL, BOS, CHI, CLE, WAS)
West Group A (HOU, LAC, MIN, POR, SAC)
West Group B (OKC, LAL, PHX, SA, Utah)
West Group C (DAL, DEN, GS, NO, MEM)
