NBA In-Season Tournament 2023: Latest Standings, Predictions After Nov. 14 Group Play
The Indiana Pacers delivered one of the first shocking results of the 2023 NBA in-season tournament. Tyrese Haliburton and Co. beat the Philadelphia 76ers on the road on Tuesday to take control of East Group A.
Philadelphia was viewed as the favorite to advance out of East Group A, but it failed to contain the high-flying Indiana offense.
The Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers kept control of their respective groups in the Western Conference with wins on Tuesday.
All three of those teams are 2-0 and should be viewed as the favorites to advance to the quarterfinals for now.
The three group winners and the best second-place team in each conference make up the quarterfinal field.
NBA In-Season Tournament Standings
East Group A
1. Indiana (2-0)
2. Atlanta (1-0)
3. Philadelphia (1-1)
4. Cleveland (0-1)
5. Detroit (0-2)
East Group B
1. Miami (2-0)
2. Milwaukee (1-0)
3. Charlotte (1-1)
4. New York (0-1)
5. Washington (0-2)
East Group C
1. Boston (1-0)
2. Brooklyn (2-1)
3. Toronto (0-0)
4. Chicago (0-1)
5. Orlando (0-1)
West Group A
1. Los Angeles Lakers (2-0)
2. Utah (2-0)
3. Portland (1-1)
4. Phoenix (0-1)
5. Memphis (0-3)
West Group B
1. Denver (2-0)
2. Houston (1-0)
3. New Orleans (1-1)
4. Dallas (1-2)
5. Los Angeles Clippers (0-2)
West Group C
1. Minnesota (2-0)
2. Sacramento (1-0)
3. Golden State (1-1)
4. Oklahoma City (1-2)
5. San Antonio (0-2)
Indiana's Statement Win Puts It In Good Shape To Advance
The Pacers' stunning win in Philadelphia moved it to 2-0 in East Group A with games left against the Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons.
Indiana leads the NBA with 126.5 points per game, and it is one of two teams to have a field-goal percentage of 50.0 or above.
Haliburton is running the show with both his scoring and passing. He received support from everyone in the starting lineup to beat the Sixers.
Indiana's defense did enough to slow down a Sixers team that was without Kelly Oubre Jr. and Nicolas Batum, two important pieces for the depth around Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.
Tuesday's victory could make the difference in qualifying for the quarterfinals as a group winner and fighting with two other teams for the fourth East final-eight berth given to the best second-place team.
Philadelphia needs to beat Atlanta and Cleveland to earn second place in East Group A. In the process, it has to run up the score to have a superior point differential to beat the other second-place teams.
As for Indiana, Tuesday served as a showcase to the rest of the league that it is ready to level up and it can compete for the in-season tournament crown.
Western Conference Group Leaders in Great Shape
Denver, the L.A. Lakers and Minnesota should feel secure about their respective chances to make the final eight.
Denver has not missed a beat without Jamal Murray, as it already owns victories over its two toughest foes in West Group B. The Nuggets started the tournament with a win over the Dallas Mavericks, and then they beat the Los Angeles Clippers by three on Tuesday behind 32 points from Nikola Jokić.
Minnesota needed a last-minute push to beat the Golden State Warriors, who were without Steph Curry and had Klay Thompson and Draymond Green ejected at the start of the contest. The Wolves did not turn in their best performance of the season, but they found a way to win behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards.
Minnesota just needs to beat the Sacramento Kings on November 24 to get into the final eight from West Group C.
The Lakers are in competition with the Utah Jazz for the top spot in West Group A. LeBron James and Co. cruised past the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday. The result made Memphis the first team to be eliminated from the in-season tournament.
The Lakers just need to beat the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday and Utah on Tuesday to secure a quarterfinal spot. They already beat the Phoenix Suns, who were viewed as their toughest competition to get into the knockout round.
