Celtics' NBA Cup path to Las Vegas takes big step with Wizards win

While the Celtics weren’t perfect against the Wizards, their NBA Cup chances took a big step forward after their win Friday at Capital One Arena. Other scores in East Group C helped them out as the C’s are starting to see a clearer path toward making the knockout stages of the in-season tournament.

First, the Celtics defeated the Wizards 108-96. Then the Hawks were blown out by the Bulls on the road, falling 136-122. That’s a huge score for the Celtics as they’re now tied with the Hawks in the standings. But Atlanta still has the tiebreaker over Boston courtesy of its 117-116 win back on Nov. 12.

But overall, the Celtics got relatively good news with the Hawks loss. That opens up more options to getting to the quarterfinals of the single-elimination tournament. And as Jrue Holiday said after the Wizards win, the reigning NBA champs also have their eyes set on a visit to Las Vegas to win another title.

“We definitely thought we were going to Vegas last year,” Holiday said. “Everybody had packed and had the intent of going to Vegas. But I think we’re a little disappointed that we didn’t make it and that could have helped us throughout the year, just motivation. But it could also help us this year.”

Here are the current standings in East Group C after Friday’s games:

After Friday’s games, East Group C has four more games left on the schedule, including just one more for the Celtics. The games are: Bulls at Wizards (Nov. 26), Cavaliers at Hawks (Nov. 29), Celtics at Bulls (Nov. 29) and Wizards at Cavaliers (Dec. 3). The last day of group play is Dec. 3 before making way to the knockout stages. Here’s everything to know when it comes to NBA Cup dates and more.

Notably, the Celtics' chances took a step forward after the Hawks lost. Atlanta will likely be underdogs in its game against the Cavaliers, the No. 1 team in the East. So if the Hawks drop that game, the Celtics control their own destiny in East Group C. In that scenario, the C’s would have the tiebreaker over the Cavs courtesy of their 120-117 win from earlier in the week. So if the Celtics and Cavs are tied at 3-1, Boston advances.

On the flip side, if the Hawks beat the Cavs, then the Celtics would lose the pool as they don’t have the tiebreaker. The best the C’s could finish is 3-1 while the Hawks would also finish 3-1 with a Cavs win. There is a chance the C’s could sneak into the knockout bracket anyway as the wild card, the best second-place team among the three groups in the East. But that’s difficult to forecast currently considering other games in other groups still need to be played.

Regardless, the Celtics can only control what is in front of them when it comes to the NBA Cup. That means taking care of business against the Bulls on the road the day after Thanksgiving. While point differential might not necessarily matter within group play — depending on the results — it could mean something when it comes to other groups and the wild card. So for the second straight season, the C’s will likely find themselves trying to blow out the Bulls by as much as possible. Some data points are still needed in East Group C, but a path to the knockout stage has materialized for the C’s.

“I feel like that’s what they do in European basketball where you have to play into the buzzer, the differential obviously matters,” Holiday said. “I like it. I think it brings something different to basketball in America. Even though sometimes you want to respect the game and sometimes you hold the ball up, but when it comes to tournaments and winning games and winning by margins, those last couple of points are important.”