In Season Tournament update: Lakers, Pacers clinch passage to quarterfinals

The Lakers and Pacers have become the first teams to advance to the quarterfinal knockout round of the NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament.

Anthony Davis kept the Lakers perfect and on top of their group, leading them past the Jazz 131-99 with an efficient 26-point night.

The Pacers advanced after one of the wildest games of the season, a Doug Moe 80s flashback game, a defense-optional contest where Indiana beat Atlanta 157-152 (in regulation). Trae Young scored 38, including five 3-pointers for the Hawks, but Tyrese Haliburton was again brilliant with 37 points and 16 assists to lead the Pacers.

Let's break down the standings in the six In-Season Tournament divisions (remember, each group winner plus one Wild Card per conference advances to the quarterfinals).

A reminder about the tiebreakers in these groups: Between two teams it is head-to-head results in the tournament games. If more than two teams are tied atop a group — or, more likely, tied for the Wild Card spot in the conference — the tiebreaker is point differential.

In Season Tournament Standings

West Group A

Lakers 4–0
Suns 2-1
Jazz 2-2
Trail Blazers 1-3
Grizzlies 0-3

The Lakers have booked their passage into the final eight with a Tuesday night win over the Jazz. The Suns have a shot at advancing as the Wild Card with a big win over the Trail Blazers next Tuesday (at 3-1 it will come down to point differential, look for the currently +13 Suns to try and pour it on).

West Group B

Pelicans 2-1
Nuggets 2-1
Rockets 1-1
Mavericks 1-2
Clippers 1-2

Only one team likely advances from this group, and New Orleans is on top right now with a +23 point differential to Denver's +9. The Nuggets final game is Friday night against the stumbling Rockets, while on the same night the Pelicans will play their final game against the surging Clippers. If the Pelicans win they are in the driver's seat. If Houston can beat Denver and then Dallas they have a real shot to move on, but that's a tough ask. The Clippers and Mavericks are not mathematically eliminated, but with two losses they are in practice.

West Group C

Timberwolves 2-0
Kings 2-0
Warriors 1-1
Thunder 1-2
Spurs 0-3

Minnesota and Sacramento play on Friday night in a game that could decide the group. The Warriors still have games against the Spurs and Kings, they may advance with two wins (but they really need the Kings to beat the Timberwolves in that showdown, giving Golden State a leg up in the tiebreakers). The Thunder and Spurs are done for the tournament.

East Group A

Pacers 3-0
Cavaliers 2-1
76ers 2-2
Hawks 1-2
Pistons 0-3

Indiana has clinched the division and will advance to the final eight knockout round. While Cleveland could catch the Pacers at 3-1 (which would involve Indiana losing to Detroit, the team that has dropped 11 in a row) it wouldn't matter, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head and Indiana already beat Cleveland in its opening game of the tournament. Cleveland (+6 through three games) has a shot at the wild card if they can beat Atlanta next Tuesday. The 76ers loss to the Donovan Michell-less Cavaliers on Tuesday ended their hopes of advancing (maybe not mathematically yet, but in practice).

East Group B

Bucks 2-0
Heat 2-0
Knicks 1-1
Hornets 1-1
Wizards 0-3

It's possible the Bucks at Heat next Tuesday night will decide this group, but to get there Miami has to beat New York on Friday night (Milwaukee faces Washington that same night, but it's not exactly the same test). If both the Heat and Bucks can advance to next Tuesday undefeated and that game is close, there's a legitimate chance the loser could still advance on point differential. If the Knicks can beat the Heat and Hornets to get to 3-1, they have a shot of being the wild card (point differential will determine that).

East Group C

Celtics 2-0
Nets 2-1
Magic 2-1
Bulls 0-2
Raptors 0-2

Boston controls its own destiny. It plays at Orlando on Friday then hosts Chicago next Tuesday, win those two games and the Celtics advance. If Orlando hopes to advance, they need to beat Boston on Friday. Brooklyn's lone remaining game is at home against the Raptors, win that and they have a shot at the wild card (it's unlikely they will win the group having already lost to Boston, hurting Brooklyn in the tiebreakers).

What is the In Season Tournament format?

The 15 teams in each conference have been divided into three groups of five teams each. Each team plays four Group Stage games against the other teams (two home, two road) in that group. The teams with the best record in each group — plus one wild card team from each conference — advance to the quarterfinals, which starts the eight-team, single-elimination knockout portion of the In-Season Tournament. The final four teams in the tournament — the top two from each conference — will come to Las Vegas on Dec. 7 and 9 for the semifinals and finals.