Emirates NBA Cup 2024: West Group A Preview

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With Group Play of the Emirates NBA Cup 2024 set to tip off in November, we’re breaking down each group as they prepare for opening night, beginning with West Group A.

This group features two playoff teams from the 2023-24 season in Minnesota and LA Clippers, one Play-In Tournament team in Sacramento and two lottery teams in Houston and Portland.

In the inaugural competition last season, the Kings won their group (which also included the Wolves) by going a perfect 4-0 in group play before falling to New Orleans in the quarterfinals. The Pelicans – who won the group that also featured the Rockets and Clippers – were a thorn in the Kings’ side all year – sweeping the season series and eliminating Sacramento from both the in-season and play-in tournaments.

When we look at head-to-head matchups from last season between teams in West Group A, the Wolves (11-3), Clippers (9-6) and Rockets (7-6) were the only teams to post winning records, while the Kings (6-7) were the only team to win the season series with Minnesota.

 

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Teams breakdown

• Minnesota Timberwolves: After matching their deepest playoff run in franchise history – returning to the West finals for the first time in two decades – the Wolves made a major move before the start of training camp, trading Karl-Anthony Towns to New York for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
• LA Clippers: The Clippers moved into their new home arena – the Intuit Dome – for 2024-25, but Paul George is no longer with the team after signing with Philadelphia in free agency. The Clippers still have All-Stars James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, but can they stay healthy to lead the team all season?
• Sacramento Kings: After ending the longest playoff drought in league history in 2023, the Kings failed to make it back in 2024. Will the addition of veteran All-Star DeMar DeRozan be enough to elevate Sacramento back into the top half of the West?
• Houston Rockets: Last season, the Rockets added a pair of veterans and a new coach to their young core and got back to .500 ball, challenging opponents for the final play-in spot until the season’s final week. After a relatively quiet offseason, does this group have another level to rise this year in the competitive West?
• Portland Trail Blazers: In their first season in over a decade without Damian Lillard, the Blazers matched their lowest win total (21) in 18 years. Portland is building around a trio of lottery picks from the past three drafts – Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson and Donovan Clingan – that are promising but will require time to develop.

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Six games to watch

Wolves vs. Kings, Nov. 15 (10 ET, NBA League Pass): Last season, Minnesota had a chance to clinch its group with a win at home over the Kings, but De’Aaron Fox (36 pts, 12 ast) had other ideas as he led the Kings to a 124-111 road win despite a 35-point night from Anthony Edwards. The Kings stayed unbeaten and eventually won the group.

Clippers vs. Rockets, Nov. 15 (8 ET, NBA League Pass): Another group play rematch from last season saw James Harden hit a tiebreaking four-point play with six seconds left against his former team to help the Clippers get their first win since Harden’s early-season arrival from Philly. In seven games against the Rockets since leaving Houston, Harden has gone 5-2 while averaging 23.6 pts, 8.4 ast and 7.0 reb.

Blazers vs. Rockets, Nov. 22 (8 ET, NBA League Pass): A matchup of two teams building their rosters with young talent, this game will give us an early season look at a pair of 2024 top 10 picks – Houston’s Reed Sheppard (No. 3 overall) and Portland’s Donovan Clingan (No. 7 overall).

Kings vs. Clippers, Nov. 22 (10:30 ET, NBA League Pass): Ever since their 176-175 double-overtime instant classic back in 2023 – the second-highest scoring game in NBA history – every matchup between these two squads is a must-watch. The three 40+ point scorers in that game – Malik Monk (45), Kawhi Leonard (44) and Fox (42) – will be a part of this matchup.

Clippers vs. Wolves, Nov. 29 (7:30 ET, ESPN): The only nationally televised game from West A group play features two teams that finished third (Wolves) and fourth (Clippers) in the West last season. In a tight conference race that came down to tiebreakers, all head-to-head matchups take on added importance, in addition to the NBA Cup stakes already at play.

Rockets vs. Kings, Dec. 3 (10 ET, NBA League Pass): The Rockets had the Kings’ number last year – sweeping the season series by an average of 17 points per game and being the only team to hold the Sacramento offense under 100 points per game. Will this dominance carry over to 2024-25 or can the Kings find a way to get past the Rockets as they look to repeat as Group Play winners?

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Prediction

Minnesota wins the group, with Sacramento and LA in the mix for a wild card.

Even though the Wolves made a major move ahead of the season – and it may take some time to incorporate Randle and DiVincenzo into the mix – this is a 50-plus win team that is still anchored with defense and a rising superstar in Anthony Edwards.

Sacramento has a similar challenge in building chemistry with new addition DeRozan and how he fits next to Fox and Domantas Sabonis. LA has a different challenge with replacing George and concerns over health with Leonard already being held out of scrimmages in training camp.

Houston can play definitely play the role of spoiler and potentially challenge for a wild card if some of their young core makes an early leap.