The field in West Group C of the Emirates NBA Cup is only three clubs deep, and the one standing in the way is the San Antonio Spurs. They are level with the Golden State Warriors on record at 1-0, two points behind them on the only tiebreaker currently separating the pair, and the only team in the group still holding both of its games against the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers. Both are in San Antonio. No Group C game has been played since Nov. 6, so the table is unchanged.
| Team | Group record | Point differential (excl. OT) | Points for (excl. OT) | Games left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden State Warriors | 1-0 | +17 | 112 | 3 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 1-0 | +15 | 124 | 3 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 1-1 | −11 | 219 | 2 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 0-1 | −6 | 118 | 3 |
| Sacramento Kings | 0-1 | −15 | 109 | 3 |
The San Antonio Spurs Hold Both Games That Could Settle First Place
The San Antonio Spurs are 1-0 after winning 124-109 at the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 6, a 15-point margin that is the second largest in the group. Three games remain: the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 13, a trip to the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 25, and the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 27.
Two of those are against the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers, both at home. That is what makes the San Antonio Spurs the field’s most awkward team rather than merely its best placed one: head-to-head record is the first tiebreaker, and they are the only side in Group C yet to spend either chance to bank one against those two clubs.
The Portland Trail Blazers Have Already Spent Their Tiebreaker Against the Los Angeles Lakers
The Portland Trail Blazers are 0-1, beaten 124-118 in Los Angeles on Nov. 6. That six-point margin leaves them on minus six, better than the Sacramento Kings on the same record. They have three left: at the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 13, the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 25, and the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 27.
Their complication is that the leg they have played cannot be recovered. Each team meets the other four once, so should the Portland Trail Blazers finish level on record with the Los Angeles Lakers, tiebreaker 1 is already settled against them by the Nov. 6 result in Los Angeles. Anything they win from here has to come through differential, total points, or finishing a clear game ahead.
The Sacramento Kings Are Last on Differential and Visit Both Teams They Need
The Sacramento Kings are 0-1 on minus 15 after that home defeat by the San Antonio Spurs, the worst differential of the five. Their remaining three are the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 13, then trips to the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 20 and the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 25.
They too still hold both head-to-head legs against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors, but neither is at home, and they would need all three remaining wins to reach 3-1. If the Sacramento Kings were to get there, they would carry a 15-point hole into the differential column that a rival on the same record would not.
Only One of Six Head-to-Head Legs Between the Field and the Top Two Has Been Played
Six head-to-head legs exist between the three field clubs and the two in front of them. Exactly one has been played: the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 6. The field is holding nothing, and five legs remain.
The Three Games With Neither Los Angeles Nor Golden State in Them Still Move the Table
Group C has three fixtures involving none of the top two, and one is gone: the San Antonio Spurs’ win in Sacramento on Nov. 6 moved the table without either fanbase watching. The Portland Trail Blazers visit the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 13, and the San Antonio Spurs visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 25.
Friday’s game in Sacramento is close to an elimination game for both. The loser falls to 0-2 with two left, capping it at 2-2 — which ends nothing formally, since 2-2 could still take a group in which nobody reaches 3-1, but removes the loser from every scenario needing 3-1.
On Nov. 25, were the San Antonio Spurs to win in Portland, they would be 3-1 at worst with the Los Angeles Lakers still to visit. Were the Portland Trail Blazers to win, they would hold head-to-head over the San Antonio Spurs at 2-2 at worst, with the Golden State Warriors left. Either branch feeds the results that could settle Group C before its final night.
No Group C Game Has Gone to Overtime, So Every Margin Here Is the Real One
A group game that goes to overtime counts as a point differential of zero for both teams rather than the final margin. All three Group C games so far ran four periods, so every figure in the differential column is simply the margin.
One caution on the points-for column: it is a running total, not a rate. The Los Angeles Lakers lead it on 219 because they have played twice, while each field club has played once. It only becomes comparable once all five have played four games.
The Field Game That Matters Most Is in San Antonio on Friday
It is the San Antonio Spurs hosting the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 13 — the first of the five remaining head-to-head legs between the field and the two in front, and the one that decides whether the Golden State Warriors keep sole first place or hand the club closest to them a result that cannot be taken back.
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