The NBA Cup games on Tuesday, Nov. 19, were some of the most entertaining games for this year's in-season tournament so far. Most notably, the Cleveland Cavaliers' 15-0 unbeaten streak, which ranks among the best-undefeated streaks ever, came to a close as the Cavaliers lost to the defending champion Boston Celtics. The NBA Cup should be just as exciting during the next slate of games, which comes on Friday, Nov. 22. Here is everything that you need to know about the games on that day.
Friday, Nov. 22 NBA Cup schedule
Brooklyn Nets @ Philadelphia 76ers at 7 p.m. ET
Boston Celtics @ Washington Wizards at 7 p.m. ET
Golden State Warriors @ New Orleans Pelicans at 7:30 p.m. ET
Indiana Pacers @ Milwaukee Bucks at 8 p.m. ET
Atlanta Hawks @ Chicago Bulls at 8 p.m. ET
Portland Trail Blazers @ Houston Rockets at 8 p.m. ET
Dallas Mavericks @ Denver Nuggets at 10 p.m. ET
Sacramento Kings @ Los Angeles Clippers at 10:30 p.m. ET
How to watch NBA Cup games
There are two games on Nov. 22 that will be nationally broadcast on ESPN. Those games are the Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelicans game and the Dallas Mavericks vs. Denver Nuggets game. The rest of the schedule will be broadcast locally or can be caught on NBA League Pass.
*Watch NBA Cup games live with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Eastern Conference storylines
The NBA Cup on Nov. 22 will tip-off at 7 p.m. ET with two Eastern Conference games. One team playing mentioned above is the Celtics. Coming off of a hard-fought victory over a Cavaliers team that was on fire, Boston should have things a little bit easier against the Washington Wizards. The Wizards are only 2-11, while the Celtics proved that they are still the best team in the NBA when they ended the Cavaliers' undefeated streak.
The Brooklyn Nets will also be playing at 7 p.m. ET against the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers are another 2-11 team, and they sit in last place in the Eastern Conference. That isn't something that anyone would have expected after the team completely rehauled the roster in the offseason. While the Nets have played better than expected, they are still a team that many thought would be tanking this year, so Joel Embiid and Paul George need to take advantage and right the ship.
The Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks are two more teams in need of getting back on track, and they will face each other in this slate of NBA Cup games. After making the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the Pacers are below .500 this year, and the Bucks are only 5-9 as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard haven't been the electric duo we thought they'd be.
The final Eastern Conference game on Nov. 22 is between the Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls. These are two more teams below .500, but things are wide open in the Eastern Conference. Dyson Daniels is the big story in this game. The defensive-minded guard has been a revelation in Atlanta, as he has been historically impressive at collecting steals and racking up deflections.
Western Conference storylines
Another team that has performed worse than expected and is getting close to desperation mode is the New Orleans Pelicans. Injuries have once again depleted this team, and things won't be any easier against the Golden State Warriors. Despite losing Klay Thompson in the offseason, the Warriors are playing some of their best basketball in years, and Stephen Curry's team is actually atop the Western Conference standings with a 10-3 record.
Western Conference action will also see the Houston Rockets take on the Portland Trail Blazers. With a 10-5 record, the Rockets have been the sneakiest team out West, and considering the youth movement in Portland, this is another winnable game for Houston.
Depending on the status of the stars, the Denver Nuggets vs. Dallas Mavericks game has the potential to be the biggest of the night. The Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokic, aren't far removed from an NBA Finals victory, and the Luka Doncic-led Mavericks made the championship series last season. Both players have missed time recently, but Jokic likely won't be out for too much longer considering he was out for personal reasons and not an injury, and Doncic returned in the Mavericks' last game.
The final game of the night is between the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers' priority will be slowing down De'Aaron Fox, who has been on a roll recently. Fox has 137 points in his last three games combined.
Predictions
Philadelphia 76ers beat the Brooklyn Nets 117-104
Boston Celtics beat the Washington Wizards 131-113
Golden State Warriors beat the New Orleans Pelicans 124-109
Milwaukee Brewers beat the Indiana Pacers 115-114
Atlanta Hawks beat the Chicago Bulls 121-116
Houston Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 127-118
Denver Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks 117-115
Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Clippers 115-112
