The Magic are back (don't tell Paolo)
The Battle of L.A. has been decided, the Wizards have won again and the 2025 NBA Cup group stage narrows into resolution.
The Battle of L.A. has been decided, the Wizards have won again and the 2025 NBA Cup group stage narrows into resolution.
Good morning. Let's basketball.
Scores
Hawks 113, Wizards 132 – Down goes Atlanta!, who would have had a very hard time making the knockout round anyway but now requires a multi-surface bank shot to make it in. C.J. McCollum still occasionally has it. Not often enough for Washington, but it's still in there.
Magic 144, Sixers 103 – Philadelphia led by seven late in the first quarter. I went off to make dinner and forgot to pause the game. My daughter switched the input and played a little Stardew Valley. About 20 minutes later she turned it off and switched back to the game. The Magic were up 19. I forgot to pause it again and we all got dinner and ate and cleaned up and whatnot. I turned it back on and the Magic were up 42. The NBA Cup is crazy, man. Anthony Black, get after it.
Here's the deal: winning by 41 still might not be enough for Orlando. They have a +61 scoring margin, best in the East, which should give them a bead on the wild card if they lose to smoking hot Detroit on Friday. (Assuming Detroit beats Boston on Wednesday. ASSUME NOTHING IN THE NBA CUP.) If the Pistons beat the Celtics and then the Magic, Orlando will need a bigger margin than other 1-loss teams in the East. The Heat are looming with a +46 margin and a date with the Bucks sans Giannis. It could get interesting!
I don't know what Jalen Suggs was doing here as Andre Drummond was trolling Wendell Carter Jr., leading to an exhausted response from WCJ. This was just silly until Suggs came in hot.
Clippers 118, Lakers 135 – The L.A. Lakers are headed back to the NBA Cup knockout round for the second time! Luka Doncic was utterly brilliant in the first half, and LAL pulled away in the fourth in a defense-optional contest.
Kris Dunn does not bluff but also did not finish the game.
The Lakers can claim home court in the quarterfinals with a healthy win over Dallas on Friday. The Clippers are quite likely toast in the NBA Cup race. The dream of a Kawhi Leonard NBA Cup MVP (he had 19 points on 6/14 shooting) is finished. RIP.
What GMIB Hath Wrought
Here are the subscriber-exclusives we published over the past week:
- An appreciation of the Pistons' abrupt and unexpected rise to the upper echelon of the league
- A premature goodbye to Chris Paul, the biggest modern winner without a ring
- A reaction to rumors that LaMelo Ball wants out of Charlotte, and a suggestion that maybe Charlotte should want him out, too
- An essay on the Norm Powell price the Clippers were not willing to pay, and the price they are paying instead
Paid subscribers get five issues per week. (This week, that includes a special Saturday newsletter putting a bow on the NBA Cup group stage.) Nearly all subscribers are satisfied. Retention is high! See what the fuss is about by joining up.
Links
Dan Devine on the Suns turning the page.
This, to put it mildly, is not how most prognosticators saw the Suns coming out of the gates after trading away two huge pieces, hiring a new general manager who’d spent virtually his entire career in college basketball (Brian Gregory) and yet another new head coach (former Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott), and reforming the 2024 Hornets’ center rotation. It is, however, pretty much exactly the kind of team that Ishbia envisioned pivoting toward after his attempt to microwave a winner so spectacularly flamed out.
Howard Beck on whether LeBron will follow Kareem's path of passing the torch.
Katie Heindl on Chris Paul's reported retirement.
Paul has always been a masterful weaver, gripping every loose thread of a game whether it’s fraying or coarse and spinning into a fabric that stretches seasons. He’s taken very young teams and spun them into shape; took a hapless Clippers group and turned them into a basketball colloquialism, Lob City, returned now as mayor emeritus. Still the farthest the franchise ever got and all because Paul has never been afraid to yell at people on the floor.
Tom Haberstroh on the Nuggets and potential All-Star Jamal Murray.
Kelly Dwyer on the surprises of the East, including Toronto.
John Schuhmann's power rankings.
I really enjoy Scott Hines' Action Cookbook newsletter and I think you will, too, even though I know almost nothing about you.
Tyler Parker on Tyrese Maxey levitating above the wreckage of the Sixers' past.
David Thorpe on why he's grateful for the Thunder.
As a leader, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the Tim Duncan of his generation. He’s just so pragmatic and even tempered. When Minnesota destroyed them by more than 40 in Game 3 of last year’s playoff matchup, a sideline mic caught Shai saying yeah, it’s just one game. He handled it so well. An unnerved star can upend a whole team, and the opposite is also true.
SGA has also mentioned that last year was a bit unsatisfying, it didn’t sit well with him that the Thunder were twice forced into seventh games. In other words, the title was great, but maybe the Thunder can do better.
Schedule
More Cup action! It's a bottomless Cup! All times Eastern.
EAST A
Pacers (0-2) at Raptors (3-0), 7:30
Inactive: Cavaliers (2-1), Wizards (1-2), Hawks (1-2)
Indiana has already been eliminated and Toronto is already in the knockout stage, so this game only matters in potentially determining whether the Raptors get homecourt in the quarterfinals. Oh, it also matters for the regular season standings!
EAST B
Pistons (2-0) at Celtics (1-2), 5, ESPN
Inactive: Magic (3-0), Nets (1-2), Sixers (0-3)
With a win, Detroit sets up a do-or-die game against Orlando on Friday with a knockout berth on the line. Actually, that's the case with a Detroit loss here, too. But they probably would prefer not to lose.
EAST C
Knicks (1-1) at Hornets (0-2), 7
Bucks (2-0) at Heat (2-1), 7:30
Inactive: Bulls (1-2)
Milwaukee vs. Miami is very important. The Knicks are rooting for Miami (who they have beaten in group play), but the Bucks, if they beat the Heat, would still need to beat the Knicks on Friday (or watch the Hornets triumph tonight) to move on and have a shot at repeating as Cup champs. Impactful Cup action!
WEST A
Timberwolves (2-1) at Thunder (2-0), 7:30, ESPN
Suns (2-0) at Kings (0-2), 10
Inactive: Jazz (0-3)
OKC and Phoenix can set up a winner-take-all group finale on Friday with wins here. Minnesota is still very alive if they can rebound and knock off the Thunder, though. There's never a good time to face OKC, but now feels like an especially bad time for Minnesota.
WEST B
Grizzlies (1-1) at Pelicans (0-3), 8
Inactive: Lakers (3-0), Clippers (2-1), Mavericks (1-2)
Memphis maintains slim hopes for a wild card nod if they can land blowout wins over New Orleans and the Clippers, which means the possibility of "Santi Aldama, NBA Cup MVP" remains on the table.
WEST C
Rockets (1-2) at Warriors (1-2), 10, ESPN
Spurs (1-1) at Blazers (2-1), 10
The Blazers can win the Group of Death with a win over the Spurs sans Wembanyama. I repeat: the Blazers can win the Group of Death with a win. If the Spurs win, San Antonio vs. Denver on Friday will determine the group winner.
Alright, we'll be back on Thursday with more recaps. Be excellent to each other.
