10 Storylines to Watch in the Emirates NBA Cup: The Highlights of the Starting 5, Nov. 29

That feeling when the day after Thanksgiving brings 10 thrilling matchups and all-day Emirates NBA Cup action.

KAT and the Knicks get the ball rolling in just a matter of 

hours.

THE LINEUP

Nov. 29, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Friday’s Stakes: With two teams already into the Knockout 

Rounds, only six spots remain

Beasts In The East: Can the Knicks & Cavs rebound to tip off 

Friday’s full day of hoops?

West Duels: The defending Cup champs host the top team out 

West after Ant & Harden clash

Scorching Streaks: Can three of the hottest teams in 

basketball stay rolling tonight?

LP Action: Unbeaten Detroit faces last year’s Cup finalists 

and more on League Pass

BUT FIRST … ⏰

A non-stop day of ball…

The NBA returns today with 10 Emirates NBA Cup 

matchups — marking the second-to-last day of Group Play.

Friday’s marathon begins with a tripleheader on NBA TV, 

starting with a showdown between the Knicks and Hornets (12 ET).

Then, the Cavs will face the Hawks in a Wednesday rematch 

(2:30 ET

), before the Grizzlies host the Pelicans (5 ET

).

An ESPN doubleheader highlights the evening slate as Anthony 

Edwards and the Wolves host James Harden and the Clippers (7:30

ET

), followed by a battle between the West-leading Thunder and the 

defending Cup champion Lakers (10 ET

).

NBA League Pass Black Friday Sale: From now until Monday, fans 

in the United States and Canada can get 50% off on a season-long 

subscription to NBA League Pass. Don’t miss the best deal of the 

season! Tap here for U.S. 

and here for Canada

. First-time subscribers only.

1. EMIRATES NBA CUP ESSENTIALS ENTERING A PIVOTAL FRIDAY

The day after Thanksgiving serves up leftovers and naps, but 

don’t sleep on a full slate of Emirates NBA Cup drama.

With Group Play nearing its finale and the Warriors and Rockets 

already into the Knockout Rounds, Friday offers 10 crucial 

matchups as teams battle to secure the remaining six spots.

Just like your Thanksgiving Day plate, there’s a lot to digest. 

So, before diving into Friday’s clinching scenarios, let’s take a 

quick look at the standings

and

refresh on the Group Play tiebreakers:

1. Head-to-head record in Group Play

2. Point differential in Group Play

3. Total points scored in Group Play

4. Regular-season record from the 2023-24 season

Friday’s Potential Clinching Scenarios:

Atlanta clinches East Group C with win AND Chicago loss

Hawks and Celtics finish Group Play with 3-1 record

All other teams in the group have 2+ losses

Hawks take tiebreaker over Celtics with head-to-head win

Boston clinches East Group C with win AND Atlanta loss

Celtics finish Group Play with 3-1 record

All other teams in group have 2+ losses besides Cleveland (2-1)

Celtics take potential tiebreaker over Cavs with head-to-head

win

2. BEASTS IN THE EAST TIP OFF FULL DAY OF HOOPS ON NBA TV

Knicks (2-0, +14 point diff) at Hornets (0-2, -26) | East Group A | 12 ET, NBA TV 

The Knicks topped 130+ points in three games all of last 

season. In their past five outings, they’ve matched that mark, 

fueled by an offense averaging 118.8 points per game (fourth in 

the NBA) and a 122.1 offensive rating this year — the second-best 

mark in the league.

Lights Out Shooting: The Knicks are shooting 50.2% from the

field and 39.1% from 3 — both the second-best percentages in the NBA. They’re also shooting a league-best 83.3% from the line, making them the only NBA team in the top five in all three shooting splits

Big Apple Balance: All five of New York’s starters have scored

in double figures in 12 games this season, which leads the NBA.  The team is posting a 58.2% effective field goal percentage — which would set a new franchise record for a full season

Ball Security & Distribution: The Knicks rank first in the NBA

in assist ratio (20.4) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.35), and their 28.1 assists per game would also set a franchise record for the most in a season

After a loss to the Mavs on Wednesday, the Knicks will look to 

rebound tonight while remaining perfect in Group Play as they 

take on the Hornets, who will be without the NBA’s second-leading 

scorer, LaMelo Ball.

Cavaliers (1-1, +15) at Hawks (2-1, -1) | East Group C | 2:30 ET, NBA TV

In just their second loss of the season — and their first loss 

at home — the 17-2 Cavs fell to Atlanta on Wednesday as Trae 

Young dished out a career-high 22 assists along with 20 points to 

power the Hawks to a 135-124 win.

What will Friday’s rematch have in store?

Ice Trae Heating Up: Young’s 22 assists were the most in the

NBA this season and one shy of matching the Hawks’ franchise record. He’s now posted four straight double-doubles of points & assists, averaging 18.8 ppg and 15.5 apg in that span

What Decided Wednesday: The Cavs lead the league in both field

goal percentage (51.7%) and 3-point percentage (40.8%) but Atlanta held them to a season-low 31.3% from deep and 46.3% from the floor — their second-lowest mark of the year

What’s At Stake Friday: Atlanta can clinch East Group C with a

win and a Bulls loss tonight. Meanwhile, Cleveland can clinch East Group C with a victory and a Celtics loss tonight, PLUS a win over Washington on Tuesday

3. ESPN DOUBLEHEADER: STAR-STUDDED SHOWDOWNS OUT WEST

Thunder (1-1, +10 point diff) at Lakers (2-1, -16) | West Group B | 10 ET, ESPN 

In a must-win matchup for both teams, the first-place Thunder 

will take on the defending Cup champion Lakers at Crypto.com 

Arena, where Los Angeles is 7-2 this season.

The heavyweight West duel features two players in the top five 

of the Kia MVP Ladder 

in Anthony Davis (No. 3) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 5) — 

both of whom have been driving forces behind their teams’ 

early-season success.

Scorching SGA: Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off back-to-back 3

5+ point games — both of which have resulted in wins — and has eclipsed 30+ points in four of his last five games while shooting 53.8% from the floor

AD’s Impact: Davis has nine 30+ point games this season,

trailing only LaMelo Ball (12) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (10) for the most in the NBA. In those games, the Lakers are 7-2

Seeking 4 In A Row: While the Thunder have won three straight

games, the Lakers have won three straight games against OKC and took last year’s season series 3-1

It’s All On The Line: Both the Thunder and the Lakers need a

win tonight to avoid being eliminated from Knockout Round contention

Clippers (1-1, -5) at Timberwolves (1-2, -14) | West Group A | 7:30 ET, ESPN 

On Wednesday, James Harden delivered his best scoring 

performance in a Clippers uniform, dropping a season-high 43 

points and seven 3s to lead LA to a win over the Wizards.

It was Harden’s first 40+ point game since May 2023, but the 

veteran guard — who only trails Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant and 

Michael Jordan for the most 40-pieces in NBA history — is proving 

that his scoring brilliance, and playmaking ability, is far from 

a thing of the past.

Through 20 games this season, Harden has increased his

average in points (21.6), assists (8.7), rebounds (7.2) and steals (1.6) from last year with the Clippers

And He’s Heating Up: Harden (23.3 ppg, 9.3 apg, 39.3%) and

Jalen Brunson are the only players in the NBA to be averaging 20+ points and 9+ assists while shooting over 35% from 3 in the past seven games. In that span, the Clippers are 6-1

On Friday, LA will look to collect its seventh win in eight 

games, while Anthony Edwards and the Wolves hope to halt a 

four-game slide to boost their hopes of reaching the Knockout 

Rounds.

4. CAN MEMPHIS, BOSTON & ORLANDO STAY HOT TONIGHT?

Speaking of hot streaks, three more teams have been downright 

sizzling over the past two weeks, and they all take the floor on 

Friday.

Pelicans (1-2, -38 point diff) at Grizzlies (0-2, -17) | West Group C | 5 ET, NBA TV 

To wrap up Friday’s tripleheader on NBA TV, the Grizzlies will 

look to extend their win streak to five games while earning their 

first Group Play dub as they host the Pelicans, who hope to play 

spoiler after being eliminated from Knockout Round contention.

Number To Know: Memphis ranks first in the NBA in assists

(30.1) and points in the paint (58.8), while ranking second in scoring (121.0 ppg) and fourth in field goal percentage (48.6%)

The Secret? Easy buckets, thanks to the third-highest PACE in

the league (103.9), leading to 112 dunks (5th-most in NBA) and 36 alley-oops (4th-most)

Celtics (2-1, +14) at Bulls (2-1, +15) | East Group C | 8 ET, League Pass 

The longest active win streak in the NBA belongs to the 

defending champs, who have notched six wins in a row and will 

look to make it seven against the Bulls in a pivotal East Group C 

showdown, with Chicago holding a +1 point differential.

Number To Know: Boston ranks third in the NBA in scoring

(120.2 ppg) with a league-best 18.9 3s per game and a league-low 39.7 points in the paint per game

An Extra Element: Kristaps Porzingis — who made his season

debut on Monday — introduces a wrinkle to Boston’s high-scoring offense as he added +5.9 points in the paint per 100 possessions for the C’s last season

Magic (2-0, +37) at Nets (1-2, -16) | East Group A | 7:30 ET, League Pass 

But the hottest team in basketball may be the Magic, who have 

won four straight games and 10 of their last 11 outings. On 

Friday, they’ll look to keep their heater alive as they face the 

Nets, who are riding a three-game win streak of their own.

Number To Know: The Magic are allowing a season-low 102.9

points per game. During their 10-1 stretch, they’ve decreased that number to 97.4

Player To Watch: Franz Wagner, who’s averaging 27.0 points, 5.5

boards, 6.9 assists and 2.3 steals on 46.5% shooting over the past 11 games

5. FRIDAY ROUNDUP: PACERS, HEAT, KINGS SEEK CRUCIAL WINS

Three more games get underway tonight on League Pass, 

including a near must-win matchup for last year’s Emirates NBA 

Cup runners-up.

Pistons (2-0, +4 point diff) at Pacers (0-2, -25) | East Group B | 8 ET, LP

: Riding a three-game win streak, Tyrese Haliburton and the 

Pacers — who reached last year’s Cup Championship — enter Friday 

most likely needing a win to keep their wild card hopes alive. 

Meanwhile, Detroit is headed for a showdown against Milwaukee 

(3-0) for the group on Tuesday.

Raptors (0-2, -18) at Heat (1-2, +10) | East Group B | 8 ET, LP

: Miami also seeks a timely win, with both Milwaukee and Detroit 

undefeated in East Group B. A victory would move the Heat to 2-2, 

leaving a slight chance for a wild card berth via tiebreaker.

Kings (0-2, -16) at Blazers (1-1, -14) | West Group A | 10 ET, LP

: To cap the action on League Pass, De’Aaron Fox and the Kings 

will look to earn their first Group Play win against the Blazers. 

After snapping a four-game skid with a win over the Wolves on 

Wednesday, can Sacramento keep it rolling tonight?