LAS VEGAS — The Nuggets are headliners in the Group of Death.
With the in-season tournament returning for its second edition this fall, this time under a new sponsorship and name (the Emirates NBA Cup), all six groups were unveiled Friday. Denver’s is particularly dangerous from top to bottom.
The Nuggets, Mavericks, Pelicans, Warriors and Grizzlies will compete in Group C in the Western Conference. The tournament’s group stage tips off Nov. 12. Games will take place around the league on Tuesdays and Fridays until eight teams advance to the knockout stage.
Denver will play against each of its four group-mates once, with two games at home and two on the road. The full schedule has not been released.
The Nuggets didn’t make it out of the group stage in last year’s inaugural tournament. They went 2-2, losing both road games at New Orleans and Houston after getting off to a 2-0 start. The Los Angeles Lakers went on to lift the new trophy after beating Indiana in the championship.
This year, Group C out West is packed with storylines, including a reunion between Golden State and Klay Thompson, who signed with Dallas this month. The group will also mark Ja Morant’s de facto reintroduction to the national stage after he missed almost all of last season with a suspension followed by a shoulder injury. The Grizzlies had a down year as a result, leading to the random ferocity of this quintet of teams.
The groups were drawn in accordance with the 2023-24 league standings. Fifteen teams are in each conference, so in order to fairly determine three groups of five, each group has one team that finished between first and third place; one team that finished between fourth and sixth; one between seventh and ninth; one between 10th and 12th; and finally one between 13th and 15th. Memphis happens to be the team in Denver’s pool representing the bottom three in the standings.
Here is the full draw.
East Group A: New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets
East Group B: Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons
East Group C: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards
West Group A: Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers
West Group B: Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs
West Group C: Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies
Jokic leads Serbia past France
Hours before the next generation of Nuggets tipped off their Summer League slate in Las Vegas, the current face of the franchise shepherded his national team to a win overseas.
Nikola Jokic amassed 20 points and 12 rebounds in Serbia’s 79-67 victory over France in a pre-Olympics exhibition game Friday. He shot 8 for 13 from the field against a French frontcourt that features 2023-24 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and DPOY runner-up Victor Wembanyama.
Jokic did most of his work in the first half, leading Serbia on a 19-2 run during the second quarter to take the lead for good. He dribbled to his left into a step-back 3-pointer to beat the shot clock in one highlight and scored a hook shot (and-one) over Wembanyama in another. He only attempted two shots in the second half after going into the break with 17 points.
Serbia will open the Olympics against the United States on July 28 in Lille, France.