NBA Cup Opens to Wild First Night

On Tuesday, the league began play in its second annual edition of the NBA Cup. The games are folded into the regular season, so not only is the Cup at stake and the money that goes with it, but the results in this tournament will influence the eventual NBA champion.

Erik Spoelstra Loses It

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has three NBA championships – one as an assistant coach for the Heat and two as its head coach – so he knows more about basketball than almost everyone on the planet. But even the very best in the sport can make a mistake.

With his Heat having erased a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter, sending the game to overtime with a closing 9-0 run, Miami was less than two seconds from beating the Detroit Pistons. 

The Heat first avoided disaster, and nearly gave the Pistons a technical foul on their final possession, by having six players on the floor. They got the sixth man off the floor, but in the confusion, the defense missed Jalen Duren breaking to the hoop for the game-tying alley-oop. With 1.1 seconds, and at 121-121, the Heat would have one last chance, so Spoelstra called time out.

He did not have any timeouts, and that, of course, gave the Pistons the technical foul that they nearly had seconds earlier. The technical was made, another foul and free-throw followed, and Miami went from a two-point winner to a two-point loser, all in two seconds of gameplay. 

Miami is now +650 to win East Group B.

Atlanta Hawks Best Boston Celtics

Two weeks ago, the Boston Celtics were the favorite to win the NBA Cup, paying +400. Now they are +800 to win the Cup, and only +230 to win East Group C, which puts them behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. Much of the change has come because of the way Cleveland has started the season, winning a franchise-best 12-straight games to begin the year. But some of that is because on Tuesday, the Celtics dropped their third game of the season.

The Celtics were 16.5-point favorites at home against the Atlanta Hawks, but they had no answer for Dyson Daniels, who led the way for Atlanta with 28 points. Jalen Johnson finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists, and the Hawks came away with the huge upset, all without their best player, Trae Young.

These teams played a week earlier, and Boston won, 123-93. But in Game 1 for East Group C, Atlanta was the one-point winner.

Joel Embiid Returns, 76ers Still Lose

Without Joel Embiid in the lineup, the Philadelphia 76ers began the season at 2-7. Now with him in the lineup, they are 0-1.

The New York Knicks knocked the Sixers out of the playoffs last year, and it was the Knicks that handed the Sixers their first loss at home in the NBA Cup, 111-99. Embiid was not good, shooting just 2-of-11 from the field and scoring eight of his 13 points from the free-throw line. He had three rebounds, five assists, and was limited to 26 minutes.

With the Celtics having dropped from the favorite to win the NBA Cup, the Knicks have become the favorite. They are paying -280 to win East Group A and +500 to win the entire tournament.

New York hosts the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday in a non-Cup game, and are favored by eight points.

Klay Thompson Night

Now a member of the Dallas Mavericks, Klay Thompson remains beloved in Golden State. In honor of his first game at Chase Center as an opponent, the Tuesday bout was promoted as “Salute Captain Klay” night. All fans in attendance received a white captain’s hat in honor of Thompson, a four-time NBA champion and five-time All-Star as a member of the Warriors.

Thompson was great, scoring 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting from beyond the three-point arc. But Stephen Curry was not going to be outdone, scoring a game-high 37 points, including a personal 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to knock off the Mavericks, 120-117.

The Warriors are now +120 to win West Group C, which makes them the favorite. The Mavericks drop to third in the group at +600. Golden State is +1000 to win the NBA Cup.