Group play for the 2024 NBA Cup ended Tuesday, with the knockout round matchups set to begin next week.
Soon, a team will claim the title as the second in-season tournament champion, joining last season’s winners, the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, the regular season pushes on as teams look to end 2024 on a high note and enter the New Year with intentions locked in on the postseason.
It’s a battle of defenses in the West as the Houston Rockets trail only the Oklahoma City Thunder in the conference standings while boasting the No. 2 and No. 1 defenses in the league, respectively.
In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics continue to duke it out for the No. 1 spot in the conference, separated by one game and a combined six games ahead of the Orlando Magic. The Milwaukee Bucks also look as if they have hit their stride after a rocky start, going on a seven-game win streak to start the holiday season.
Note: Team rankings are based on where members of our panel (ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Michael Wright, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin, Ohm Youngmisuk, Chris Herring and Kevin Pelton) think teams belong this season.
Previous rankings: Preseason | Oct. 30 | Nov. 5 | Nov. 13 | Nov. 20 | Nov. 27
Jump to a team:
ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE
DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND
LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN
NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX
POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTAH | WAS
1. Boston Celtics
Boston has to be thrilled with Kristaps Porzingis’ return following offseason surgery. Despite not playing in several months, Porzingis has looked like he hasn’t missed a beat, averaging 19 points on 50% shooting while providing the Celtics with much-needed rim protection. He is another quality long-range shooter on a team already launching more than 50 3s per game. — Tim Bontemps
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland responded to back-to-back losses to the Hawks with a revenge win against the Celtics — taking down the defending champs with a 43-27 run in the fourth quarter Sunday, less than a month after Boston handed the Cavs their first defeat of the season on Nov. 19. The Cavs beat the Celtics at their own game, hitting the same number of 3s (17) on 13 fewer attempts. — Dave McMenamin
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
Third-year forward Jalen Williams is building a strong early case for his first All-Star selection, as his production has increased in all five of the major categories (21.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.0 block per game). The only players to average at least 21 points with that level of production in the other categories for an entire season: Michael Jordan in 1990-91 and Scottie Pippen in 1994-95. — Tim MacMahon
4. Houston Rockets
Houston hits its three-game road trip out West riding a three-game winning streak, capped by a signature victory at home Sunday over the Thunder. The Rockets aren’t resting on their 19-win improvement from last season. Instead, they’ve turned up the heat defensively, competing with a desperation that has vaulted Houston to the No. 2 defense. For coach Ime Udoka, consistency is key. He’d like to see the team continue to build habits that it can lean on once competition ratchets up during the stretch run heading into the playoffs. — Michael Wright
5. Memphis Grizzlies
Count it. Six wins in a row before dropping Tuesday’s game at Dallas, and Memphis captured half of those with Ja Morant out. It’s not a stretch to say the Grizzlies boast one of the league’s deepest rosters. After injuries to Morant, Desmond Bane, Zach Edey, Marcus Smart and other important contributors, they’ve leaned on promising youngsters such as Scotty Pippen Jr., Jaylen Wells and Jay Huff. Eight Grizzlies average double figures in scoring and four (Morant, Bane, Pippen and Jaren Jackson Jr.) are capable on any given night to take on a star role. — Wright
6. Orlando Magic
The Magic entered Tuesday’s NBA Cup contest in New York as one of the league’s hottest teams, having sandwiched a pair of six-game winning streaks around their only loss since Nov. 6 against the Clippers. That put Orlando in position to advance to the quarterfinals despite a lopsided loss to the Knicks. Although the Magic played a seven-game playoff series against Cleveland last spring, a long NBA Cup run will provide useful big-game experience for a youthful roster. Orlando also shined in our recent under-25 rankings, with two of the top four players (Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner) and a third in the top 25 (Jalen Suggs). — Kevin Pelton
7. Golden State Warriors
Steve Kerr had bigger problems Tuesday than trying to figure out whether to shorten his deep rotation. Draymond Green missed his first game of the season with left calf tightness, and Kerr had to figure out a way to slow down MVP Nikola Jokic and halt the longest losing slide of the season. The Warriors did neither. Jokic had 38 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals and the Warriors blew a seven-point lead in the final 2:32 to drop their fifth straight game. Green will undergo an MRI on Wednesday and his availability is uncertain for Thursday’s game at home against Houston. — Ohm Youngmisuk
8. Dallas Mavericks
Dallas’ depth allowed the Mavs to win the five of six games recently missed by Luka Doncic, which is a drastic difference from recent seasons. The Mavs were a combined 9-19 in games missed by Doncic the past two seasons. Offseason additions Naji Marshall (19.0 PPG, 68.5 eFG%) and Quentin Grimes (15.8 PPG, 62.0 eFG%) helped fill the offensive void during Doncic’s five-game absence while he recovered from a right wrist sprain and worked on his conditioning. — MacMahon
9. New York Knicks
Twenty-one games in, the revamped Knicks own the most efficient offense, boasting the association’s best assist-to-turnover ratio and its second-best 3-point mark. A massive part of what’s fueling the improvement: The five-out spacing, courtesy of Karl-Anthony Towns, which has helped the team find good looks more quickly than a season ago. The difference is subtle — with New York taking the league’s highest percentage of shots in the final four seconds of the clock last season, as opposed to taking the fifth-highest percentage currently. But marginal differences matter, especially as the club continues to work out kinks on the defensive end, where it ranks just 19th through the first quarter of this campaign. — Chris Herring
10. Denver Nuggets
Michael Malone didn’t like the way his defense played in the five games entering Tuesday’s game against the Warriors. “I don’t know if it’s guys are just kind of caught up in themselves right now,” Malone said before facing Golden State. “We have too many people worrying about why am I coming out of the game? How many my shots am I getting?” His team responded with a close win over the Warriors thanks to a 38-point double-double from Jokic. — Youngmisuk
11. LA Clippers
When Norman Powell went down with a hamstring injury, the Clippers could have been staring at a rough stretch in their schedule. Powell has been on fire on offense for a team that desperately needs it. But during Powell’s six-game absence, the Clippers only got grittier. They won four of those six games, with losses to the Celtics and Wolves. James Harden has been sensational, scoring 20 or more points in six of seven games entering Tuesday night, including a 43-point explosion against Washington and a 39-point performance in a win over Denver. And Powell picked up where he left off with 28 points in his return against Denver. — Youngmisuk
12. Phoenix Suns
Following a rare five-day break in the schedule, Phoenix’s playmaking responsibilities shifted back toward Devin Booker. And wins came with it. The Suns went 2-1 last week and Booker averaged 9.5 assists across the victories. Phoenix is now 6-1 on the season when Booker tallies 8 or more assists. — McMenamin
13. Los Angeles Lakers
JJ Redick recently likened his experience as a first-year coach to playing Whac-A-Mole and that’s been illustrated by him using his mallet to hammer home defensive improvement as L.A. has held each of its past four opponents under 110 points. In the meantime, the Lakers’ offense, which had been ranked fifth in efficiency, has plummeted to No. 9, with Redick’s team topping 110 themselves just once in the past six games. — McMenamin
14. Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks secured a spot in the NBA Cup tournament for a second straight season, after losing in the semifinals last year. The Bucks have officially rebounded from a 2-8 start to climb back over .500. Milwaukee’s resurgence has been led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who averaged 22.8 paint points in November — the most in a calendar month by any player since Shaquille O’Neal in March 2000. — Jamal Collier
15. San Antonio Spurs
Since his arrival in San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama has cautioned against putting him in a box. On any given night, he’s capable of flashing the skill set of a guard, forward, center, slasher, dunker, shooter and shot blocker. You name it, Wembanyama can do it. That’s why San Antonio is so supportive of the 20-year-old phenom’s growth coming off his third career triple-double in Sunday’s win over Sacramento. Wemby’s deep bag makes San Antonio a difficult and unpredictable matchup for teams, which continue to try different ways to minimize his impact. — Wright
16. Miami Heat
While Jimmy Butler is dealing with a knee injury that forced him to sit out Monday’s loss to Boston, he’s looked like a different player since a shift to a more on-ball role and Terry Rozier back to the bench. And yet, the Heat still find themselves under .500 and in a play-in spot in the East. That’s not where they expected to be in a weak conference. — Bontemps
17. Minnesota Timberwolves
Less than a week after star Anthony Edwards called the Wolves out for their lack of communication, Minnesota responded with consecutive wins. Monday was its best defensive performance of the season, holding the Lakers to a season-low 80 points while getting back to .500. It’s still a far cry from where the Wolves want to be — they’re still on the outside of the Western Conference play-in picture –but coach Chris Finch acknowledged it was a step in the right direction. — Collier
18. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks, winners of a season-high four games in a row and back at .500, have found a nice groove since getting previously injured wings Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter back in the rotation. Both provide outside shooting and secondary playmaking, which makes life a bit easier on Trae Young, who early on faced more defensive pressure because of their absences. Suddenly, Atlanta has an impressive amount of depth on both ends; a rare trait for the club since its surprise trip to the 2021 Eastern Conference finals. — Herring
19. Indiana Pacers
Indiana hopes the return of guard Andrew Nembhard can provide a spark for its struggling team. Nembhard returned Sunday from a 12-game absence with a knee injury and scored 14 points in 15 minutes while providing a defensive boost for a Pacers team in need of it. Indiana is hoping to get him up to speed with a slate of Eastern Conference foes upcoming, including Brooklyn, Chicago and Charlotte to round out the week. — Collier
20. Sacramento Kings
The Kings snapped a four-game losing streak last Wednesday in Minnesota, but losses at Portland and at home to San Antonio left Sacramento continuing to tumble down the West standings. The Kings are now 12th in the conference, with several other postseason-worthy teams ahead of them in the play-in spots. The situation is dire enough that journeyman forward Jae Crowder went from unsigned free agent this time last week to starting two games for Sacramento in place of injured DeMar DeRozan. — Pelton
21. Brooklyn Nets
With top scorer Cam Thomas sidelined for three to four weeks, the injury-plagued Nets will likely be turning a bit more to forward Cameron Johnson, who’s quietly in the midst of a career season in scoring and efficiency. Johnson, 28, who made his name as a role player in Phoenix, is averaging 18 points in Brooklyn. He’s taking more shots from close range, while still knocking 42.2% of his 3s. Johnson flashed his scoring potential most last month when he erupted for 34 and 37 points in back-to-back games against the Hornets and Sixers, respectively. — Herring
22. Detroit Pistons
The fact that the Pistons entered Tuesday’s NBA Cup group stage finale against Milwaukee with a chance to win their group is a measure of their improvement this season. Despite the loss to the Bucks, Detroit finished 3-1 in group play, having blown out the Pacers by 24 on the road Friday. That’s more wins in the NBA Cup alone than the Pistons had in all games last season before Christmas. Additionally, the 24-point margin in Indiana was Detroit’s largest victory since April 2021. — Pelton
23. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls’ defense has been a major issue. They are 27th in defensive efficiency this season, surrendering more than 135 points four times in the past two weeks. It’s the main reason — despite a fast-paced, effective offense — they are 9-13 and in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. — Collier
24. Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers kept their slim hopes of advancing in the NBA Cup alive Friday by beating the slumping Kings before seeing their four-game home winning streak ended Sunday by the Mavericks. Competitive losses are a good sign for Portland, which entered Tuesday with the league’s largest average margin of defeat (18.4) despite having more wins than six other teams. The Blazers’ depth — particularly backup point guard Dalano Banton — has been a plus as they manage injuries to recent lottery picks Donovan Clingan (MCL sprain) and Scoot Henderson (quadriceps contusion). — Pelton
25. Toronto Raptors
While Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley have missed large chunks of this season with injuries, RJ Barrett has stepped up, averaging more than 23 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists while shooting 45.7% from the field and 35.7% from 3. If Barrett can boost his efficiency as Barnes works himself back into the lineup and when Quickley eventually returns, he’ll fit nicely on the wing moving forward. — Bontemps
26. Charlotte Hornets
The biggest news out of Charlotte over the past week is LaMelo Ball’s calf strain, which the team said would keep him out for at least two weeks. The club, which has played without Ball for the vast majority of the past two seasons because of injuries, hopes for a speedy return, if only because of the massive impact the guard has on the Hornets’ offense. The club’s offense is 12 points better per 100 possessions — essentially the same margin between the first-ranked Knicks and 25th-ranked Charlotte — when Ball and his 31 points per game are on the court. — Herring
27. Philadelphia 76ers
An already small 76ers team took yet another hit Saturday, when center Andre Drummond suffered a sprained ankle that will sideline him for at least three games. That led the 76ers to sign 6-10 forward Pete Nance — brother of Hawks forward Larry Nance Jr. — to a two-way contract. The big man Philly hopes to get back soon, Joel Embiid, continues to sit for both left knee injury management and personal reasons. — Bontemps
28. Utah Jazz
The Jazz have determined that it’s best for Cody Williams to get his playing time in the G League at this point in the rookie lottery pick’s development, opening some rotation minutes for second-year wing Brice Sensabaugh. Sensabaugh has averaged 12.0 points and shot 42.9% from 3-point range entering Tuesday night, but the defensive end has been a struggle. The Jazz have allowed 125.3 points per 100 possessions with Sensabaugh on the court in that span. — MacMahon
29. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans received a much-needed break coming out of Monday’s loss at Atlanta that ended a three-game road trip. But a break in play won’t rescue the wounded Pels. Over its next five games, New Orleans hosts Phoenix and Oklahoma City ahead of matchups at San Antonio and Houston, followed by a Dec. 21 clash with the Knicks. Meanwhile, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Jose Alvarado, Jordan Hawkins and Herbert Jones remain out. By now, David Griffin is likely pondering pulling the plug on the season to work toward obtaining a top pick in a loaded draft. — Wright
30. Washington Wizards
Washington’s sink to the abyss of the standings continued with a 31-point loss at Cleveland. The Wizards now have lost 15 straight games, the last nine by 10 or more points each. Making matters worse, Malcolm Brogdon, Kyshawn George and Corey Kispert all left the loss in Cleveland with injuries. And Kyle Kuzma is already sidelined with a rib injury. Washington’s next nine games don’t get any easier, either. — Youngmisuk
