It feels like the NBA’s In-Season tournament just started, but two teams have already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. The Lakers and Pacers have officially moved on, meaning two of the eight available spots for the knockout round have been taken.
There are six spots left and just under a week to figure out which teams will get them. And considering where things stand right now, it looks like things could get pretty tight down the stretch.
Now is as good a time as ever to discuss the current standings and go over the tiebreakers for the rest of the tournament. So, without further ado, let’s dig in.
Where things stand now before Friday's action
Here are all of the groups listed by tournament record and point differential:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Group A: Pacers (3-0, +5.4), Cavaliers (2-1, +2.0), 76ers (2-2, +2.3), Hawks (1-2, -3.0) Pistons (0-3, -7.3)
Group B: Bucks (2-0, +18.0), Heat (2-0, +6.5), Knicks (1-1, +8.0), Hornets (1-2, -10.0), Wizards (0-3, -11.7)
Group C: Celtics (2-0, +8.5), Nets (2-1, +2.6), Magic (2-1, +1.7), Bulls (0-2, -4.0) Raptors (0-2, -11.0)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Group A: Lakers (4-0, +18.5), Suns (2-1, +4.3), Jazz (2-2, -3.2), Trail Blazers (1-3, -9.8), Grizzlies (0-3, -11.6)
Group B: Pelicans (2-1, +7.7), Nuggets (2-1, +3.0), Rockets (1-1, -1.5), Mavericks (1-2, -4.6), Clippers (1-2, -5.0)
Group C: Kings (2-0, +8.0) Timberwolves (2-0, +5.0) Warriors (1-1, -0.5), Thunder (1-2, +9.0), Spurs (0-3, -17.3)
The Pacers and the Lakers are the only teams to clinch so far. The Wizards, Pistons, Trail Blazers, Grizzlies and Spurs have all been eliminated so far.
So how do the tiebreakers work?
Again, there will be six group winners and the wild-card teams that make it to the tournament’s knockout stage. That means there will be some close calls and some second-place teams will make it to the next round.
So how does the NBA determine who makes it? Tiebreakers, folks. That’s how. Aside from record, there are six of them in total. Here they are in order:
- Head-to-head record in the group stage
- Point differential in the group stage
- Total points scored in the group stage
- Regular season record from the previous season
- Random drawing if all else fails.
WHEW boy. Let’s hope a situation never gets to that final step.
Wait, point differential counts? Is that why we're seeing crazy blowouts?
Yes! Points are a huge determining factor here. If two teams have the same head-to-head record in the Group Stage then points come into the picture.
The team with the bigger point differential will move forward to the next round. In the unlikely event that both teams have the same point differential, then the total points scored will be taken into account instead.
That’s why we’re seeing games like the Thunder’s 123-87 win over the Spurs, for example. Oklahoma City currently sits in fourth place in its group, but it now has the best point differential at +9.0. If Oklahoma City can just get to 2-2, it’ll have a shot to make it to the next round.
Ah, that makes a lot more sense. What's the rest of the schedule?
So that’s how everything works. The final games of the group stage are coming on Nov. 28. The tournament officially moves into the knockout round on Monday, Dec. 4 it’ll continue through Tuesday, Dec. 5.
From there, on Dec. 7, the two semifinal games will be played in Las Vegas. The NBA Cup Finals will also be in Vegas on Dec. 9.
It’s going to be a wild ride until then. Buckle in, folks.
