Denver Nuggets face tough road in NBA Cup Group A
The team has not reached the quarterfinals in the tournament's first three years, and its upcoming schedule features three high-powered opponents.
By Henry Castro ·
The NBA Cup begins play on Friday, marking the fourth season of the tournament. The Denver Nuggets enter the competition without a quarterfinal appearance in the event's history. Seventeen different teams have advanced to the knockout round at least once in the previous three years. Denver is not on that list.
The tournament uses a group stage format with six groups of five teams. Each team plays four round-robin games. The top team from each group advances to the playoffs, joined by one wild card from each conference. Ties for the wild card spot are broken by point differential. Overtime points do not count toward that differential.
Denver is assigned to Western Conference Group A. The Nuggets will play four games in this stage. These games count toward the regular season record. The only game in the tournament that does not count is the championship game, scheduled for Dec. 11 at Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Nuggets open their group play on Oct. 30 against the Phoenix Suns. The Suns have struggled with lineup chemistry early in the season. A group of players including Devin Booker and Jalen Green posted a minus-44 rating in their first 49 minutes together on the floor. Denver will host the Houston Rockets on Nov. 20. The Rockets are 5-0 and feature Fred VanVleet, who is averaging 6.5 assists and 1.3 turnovers since returning from a torn ACL. Alperen Sengun is also dealing with a mild back strain.
The Nuggets will host the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 24. Kyrie Irving sat out the Mavericks' home opener for knee injury management. It is unclear if he will play. Cooper Flagg has been active in the first week of the season. The group stage concludes on Nov. 27 with a game in Salt Lake City against the Utah Jazz. The Jazz are missing three starters due to injuries, including Jaren Jackson Jr., who tore his right MCL and is out for six to eight weeks.
The tournament rules include specific tiebreakers. Head-to-head results are the first tiebreaker. Point differential in group play is the second. Points scored in group play is the third. The championship game remains the only contest that does not impact the regular season standings for the participating teams.
Source: The Denver Post
