The Celtics will likely need to significantly improve their point differential to advance to the knockout stage of the in-season tournament.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0)looks to take a foul shot in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) AP
November 27, 2023 Facebook Twitter Email Email
MIAMI (AP) — Say this for the NBA: It will have some drama for the final night of group play in the inaugural in-season tournament.
There are eight games left — all potentially having implications on who will advance.
All teams play four games in the group stage; 14 teams are already done and the other 16 teams wrap up their group slates on Tuesday. Every group winner will reach the quarterfinals, and the best second-place team from each conference will earn a wild-card spot.
There’s a really good chance that tiebreakers to separate teams with 3-1 (or maybe even 2-2) records will come into play. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head, and the second is point differential — which certainly raises the possibility that a team with a lead as time is running out in an already-decided game might look for more points in the final seconds.
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