NBA In-Season Tournament update

I teased about this update in the “What happened last night” column, and it’s finally here. Everything you need to know about the NBA In-Season Tournament after two weeks can be found below

Standings

Most teams across the league have played at least two of the four games in the group play stage. Here are the full standings as of November 15.

East Group A

1. Indiana (2-0)

2. Atlanta (1-0)

3. Philadelphia (1-1)

4. Cleveland (0-1)

5. Detroit (0-2)

East Group B

1. Miami (2-0)

2. Milwaukee (1-0)

3. Charlotte (1-1)

4. New York (0-1)

5. Washington (0-2)

East Group C

1. Boston (1-0)

2. Brooklyn (2-1)

3. Toronto (0-0)

4. Chicago (0-1)

5. Orlando (0-1)

West Group A

1. Los Angeles Lakers (2-0)

2. Utah (2-0)

3. Portland (1-1)

4. Phoenix (0-1)

5. Memphis (0-3)

West Group B

1. Denver (2-0)

2. Houston (1-0)

3. New Orleans (1-1)

4. Dallas (1-2)

5. Los Angeles Clippers (0-2)

West Group C

1. Minnesota (2-0)

2. Sacramento (1-0)

3. Golden State (1-1)

4. Oklahoma City (1-2)

5. San Antonio (0-2)

Most impressive teams so far

The Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves have all opened up the In-Season tournament 2-0.

The Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets are also undefeated but have only played one game so far.

The Nuggets, Lakers, and Celtics are obvious threats to not only win the In-Season NBA Cup, but also the NBA Finals at the end of the year. Lebron James, Nikola Jokic, and Jayson Tatum leading their teams to Vegas would be less surprising than another forest fire showing up in Canda.

What is surprising, however, is the play of the Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz, and Minnesota Timberwolves this season.

Indiana has quickly become my favorite team to watch in the Association (yes more than the Thunder) thanks to the incredible nightly play of Tyrese Haliburton. The 23-year-old leads the NBA in assists per game (12.5), is 14th in points per game (24.7), and most importantly, has the Pacers at 7-4 this season.

Haliburton has paired with Buddy Hield, Benedict Mathurin, and Miles Turner to create a league-leading 126.5 points per game offense. That number is nearly 4 points better than the second-best team, the Dallas Mavericks.

The Timberwolves have been even better this season, and they’ve done it in a completely different way. Head coach Chris Finch’s defensive scheme has stymied opponents all year, leading to a league-best 102.9 OPPG.

In Tuesday’s game in Golden State, the Timberwolves held the Warriors (albeit without Steph Curry) to under 100 points until a garbage time 3 helped Steve Kerr’s team cross the plateau.

As for the Utah Jazz, they’ve gotten to 2-0 thanks to a cupcake schedule featuring the Grizzlies and Trail Blazers. Still, they’ve taken care of business and have a decent shot to make it to the knockout stage with one more win. (Quick shoutout to Walker Kessler…. war eagle)

Speaking of Auburn alumni, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the 6-3 Houston Rockets. The youngest roster in the NBA has only played one game in the tournament, but can clearly make some noise with the way they are balling to start the season.

Most disappointing teams so far

This list is not going to include teams like the Wizards (0-2), Spurs (0-2), Pistons (0-2), or Grizzlies simply because they weren’t expected to compete this season. Although the Grizzlies fall-off without Ja Morant has been unreal.

I will take a jab at the Los Angeles Clippers (0-2), Phoenix Suns (0-1), and Oklahoma City Thunder (1-2).

The Clippers have been an absolute dumpster fire since acquiring James Harden from the 76ers. The team has lost six games in a row after starting the season 3-1. I’m sure they are more worried about righting the ship in time for the actual postseason, but not making it out of group play in this tournament would be a major disappointment for a team with Finals aspirations.

The Suns have only played one game in this tournament but are here because of their 4-6 overall record. The trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal have played musical chairs on the injury report thus far, realizing the fears of many fans heading into the year.

Lastly, it looks like our favorite team at Section 400, the baby Thunder, isn’t going to Vegas. It’s disappointing, but the 7-4 overall record has the boys still believing.

Knockout Stage prediction

I’ve been scorching with my picks on the college side of basketball (check out “what to watch for tonight” each day. I’m on a 9-1 run) but let’s see how well we can predict the winners on the professional side.

I’m going to be boring and take the chalk in the Western Conference. Los Angeles, Minnesota, and Denver should all win their respective groups. As for the wildcard team, I’m going to take the Suns despite the disappointing start. Phoenix should be favored in all its remaining games in a week group.

In the East, I’m taking the Pacers, Bucks, and Celtics to win their groups with the Miami Heat coming is as the wild card team. The Bucks should usurp the Heat at the top of Group B, but Miami will have no trouble getting in thanks to a laughably week group.