The Sacramento Kings have secured the final spot in the quarterfinals of the NBA tournament being held for the first time during the season.
The Kings won the direct duel for victory in their group against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday evening (November 28th, 2023) with 124:123 (55:72) and thus their fourth preliminary round game of the NBA tournament. The six group winners from the six preliminary round groups qualify for the quarter-finals, plus the two best runners-up in the group.
During the game, the Golden State Warriors were aware of the fact that the best runners-up in the group would advance and that the basket ratio would be important. Stephen Curry reminded his teammates in the final stages that the team needed a win against Sacramento by twelve points – but in the end they lost a 24-point lead and were eliminated.
Final Four will be played in Las Vegas
In the East, the Milwaukee Bucks won their groups with 131:124 against the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics won their groups with 124:97 against the Chicago Bulls; the Indiana Pacers had previously won the third group in the East. The New York Knicks are the best runners-up in the group.
In the West, in addition to the Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans also reached the quarterfinals as group winners. The Phoenix Suns finished third in the group.
The matches in the quarter-finals are:
- Milwaukee Bucks – New York Knicks (1)
- Indiana Pacers – Boston Celtics (2)
- Los Angeles Lakers – Phoenix Suns (3)
- Sacramento Kings – New Orleans Pelicans (4)
In the semifinals, the winners of games 1 and 2 meet in one encounter, and the winners of games 3 and 4 in the other. The Final Four will be played in Las Vegas. The games affect the regular season standings with the exception of the final. For the first time in the history of the NBA, there is a cup competition during the season with the “In-Season Tournament”. The winner gets the “NBA Cup”.
Best runners-up in the group advance – Josh Hart with criticism of the mode
With the New York Knicks, who were one of the two best runners-up in the group by beating the Charlotte Hornets 115:91 because of the better basket ratio, player Josh Hart criticized the mode with the best runners-up on ESPN: “I don’t really like it. At first we were just focused on winning. In the last few minutes it felt weird. At a certain point you just start chasing points. So it affects the integrity of the game a little bit game.”
The basketball world champions Franz and Moritz Wagner have left the Orlando Magic, as has Dennis Schröder. Schröder lost with the Toronto Raptors to the Brooklyn Nets 103:115.