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Anthony Gharib, ESPN
The group stages of the NBA’s first in-season tournament concluded on Tuesday with eight teams advancing to the quarterfinals. The semifinals and finals will be held in Las Vegas, with the winner receiving the NBA Cup and $500,000 in prize money.
As the group stage comes to an end, point differential becomes a crucial part of the game.
With just over seven minutes left in the final game and the Boston Celtics leading by 32 points, they intentionally fouled Chicago Bulls center Andre Drummond, who shot 55.9 percent from the line.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan expressed confusion to Celtics coach Joe Mazzula, who explained to him at midfield that Boston needed to win by 22 points or more to advance to the knockout stages.
Championship games showcase the best of NBA superstars. The team was not shy about expressing their nerves in the group stage, emphasizing their desire for prize money.
Here are some standout numbers from the group stages of the NBA in-season tournament.
After beating the Phoenix Suns for the first time in the season, LeBron James said players are competing for bonuses.Anthony Davis went further, mentioning that money brings extra energy, and one of his teammates explain: “One step closer to $500” after beating Suns.
The Lakers delivered on those promises — they held a plus-74 point differential in the in-season tournament and a minus-107 point differential in all other games. Three of Los Angeles’ four wins have come by double digits.
James averaged 25 points, 8 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game, shooting 60% from the field, while Davis scored 19.8 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks. D’Angelo Russell is up 3.3 points in other games, averaging 19.3 points per game.
stars appear
There are many scorers in the group stage. Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell is averaging 39 points in two season championship games.
Compared to other regular season games, Mitchell averaged 13 points per game more during the tournament, the most among players who played in 10 or more games and at least one in-season tournament. On Tuesday, he scored a season-high 40 points, along with 11 rebounds and five assists.
Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox is averaging 36 points (8.5 points above his regular season average), 8 rebounds and 8 assists in three wins. The extremely efficient Kevin Durant averaged 35.7 points per game, shot 58.6% from the field and 75% from three-point range.
Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets have a 2-2 record, but the two-time MVP is still averaging 32.3 points, 16.3 rebounds and 11 assists per game.
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (9.2) and Golden State Warriors forward Dario Saric (9.0) trail Mitchell by the largest margins in the tournament compared to other regular-season games.
Clarkson scored a season-high 37 points in the Jazz’s third game. Oddly enough, the only times Saric has scored at least 20 points this season has been in three of four game nights during the season.
Increased league playing time (minimum three games)
Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon had the biggest increase, playing 5.8 more minutes than in other regular season games, averaging 38.2 minutes per game. Cavaliers guard Darius Garland is averaging 5.2 more minutes per game, reaching 36.6 minutes per game.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey and Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet rank among the top two in minutes per game in the in-season tournament.
Maxey leads the league with 41.2 minutes per game, while VanVleet ranks second with 40.3 minutes, four points more than their respective regular season averages: Maxey averages 37.6 minutes per game, VanVleet averages 36.6 minutes.
Jokic, Rockets center Alperon Sengon and Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball each saw 4.8 more minutes. The defending champion Nuggets have three players (Gordon, Jokic and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) playing at least 37 minutes per game.
After locking up a spot in the knockout rounds, the Pacers made their serious intentions clear.
Tyrese Haliburton told ESPN that this is his first time competing for a championship at the NBA level, noting that he has never been to the playoffs, so this tournament “gave me the ability to The opportunity to do that, that’s what’s exciting to me.”
Haliburton played a role in the Pacers’ undefeated run in the group stage – he averaged 28.5 points and 13.5 assists, including 37 points and 16 assists in a 157-152 win over the Atlanta Hawks assists.
Teammate Obi Toppin also improved his scoring total, scoring 7.3 more points in the tournament than he did in the regular season. Toppin averaged 17.3 points per game and shot 66.7% from the field. He scored a season-high 27 points against the 76ers.
ESPN Stats & Information Research contributed to this report.