Boston, MA
What Celtics’ big win over Cavs meant for Boston’s NBA Cup chances
Tuesday’s thrilling win over the Cavaliers kept the Celtics in contention for the 2024 NBA Cup.
The 120-117 victory at TD Garden improved Boston’s record to 1-1 in NBA Cup group play. It sits second in the Eastern Conference’s Group C, behind 2-0 Atlanta and ahead of 1-1 Cleveland thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker. Washington and Chicago round out the group at 0-1.
The three group winners and top second-place finisher from each conference qualify for the win-or-go-home quarterfinals.
“Even though it’s a November game, this was an NBA Cup game,” Celtics big man Al Horford said. “We squandered one away last week against Atlanta, and (we wanted to) find a way to get this win and try to stay relevant in that. It was important. I think it’s a good thing that this early in the season, you’re playing meaningful games like that.”
How can the Celtics advance? The simplest path would be to win their two remaining Cup games (at Washington this Friday; at Chicago next Friday) and have the Hawks, who opened Cup play with a 117-116 win in Boston, lose both one of theirs (at Chicago; vs. Cleveland). In that scenario, the Celtics would finish atop Group C and guarantee themselves a spot in the knockouts.
If Atlanta wins one or both of its remaining games, then Boston would need to worry about point differential, which is the second tiebreaker behind head-to-head. The Celtics currently are at plus-2 in NBA Cup play, with the Hawks at plus-13 and the Cavs at plus-15.
The Celtics will have prime opportunities to pad that number over their final two contests, as they’ll be heavily favored over both the Wizards (overall record: 2-11) and Bulls (6-9). It would behoove them to win those games by as many points as possible, even if it means keeping their foot on the gas late in a blowout. Boston already routed Washington by 20 in a non-Cup game back on Oct. 24.
In last year’s In-Season Tournament (as the NBA Cup was known at the time), the Celtics needed to beat the Bulls by more than 22 points in their final group game to break a three-way tie with Orlando and Brooklyn. Head coach Joe Mazzulla reinserted his starters in the fourth quarter and repeatedly fouled poor free-throw shooter Andre Drummond, and Boston won by 27.
“I apologized to Andre Drummond for doing that,” Mazzulla said at the time, “but it gave us the best chance considering the circumstances we were in.”
Both wild-card teams that advanced to the quarterfinals last season had 3-1 records in group play and point differentials of plus-34 or higher.
Losing to either Washington or Chicago likely would eliminate the Celtics from NBA Cup contention. Players on all teams that reach the knockout rounds receive escalating bonuses: $50,000 for the losing quarterfinalists, $100,000 for the losing semifinalists, $200,000 for the runners-up and $500,000 for the NBA Cup champions.
Originally Published:
Boston, MA
!$+∇√$[+[!LIVESTREAMs!]+] Minnesota Wild vs Boston Bruins Live Free Streams On Tv Channel 2026-03-29
![!$+∇√$[+[!LIVESTREAMs!]+] Minnesota Wild vs Boston Bruins Live Free Streams On Tv Channel 2026-03-29](https://i2.wp.com/encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcReQZPBURuIIuh0fPF6YTAqOY-y1_BeWJWzPA&s&ssl=1 "!$+∇√$[+[!LIVESTREAMs!]+] Minnesota Wild vs Boston Bruins Live Free Streams On Tv Channel 2026-03-29")
Minnesota Wild vs Boston Bruins
HERE’S (*WAY TO WATCH*) Minnesota Wild VS Boston Bruins Ｆｒｅｅ LIVE 2026-03-29 Rose Bowl Parade 2026 live: Rose Bowl Parade 2026 look to seize control of thrilling Rose Bowl Parade 2026. Every team in the Rose Bowl Parade 2026 has two wins apiece as we go into the final two game weeks. Rose Bowl Parade 2026 will host Rose Bowl Parade 2026 at Live NHL mAtch Durban’s Kings Park Stadium with the Rose Bowl Parade 2026 a single point ahead of Rose Bowl Parade 2026 in the standings and just one behind leaders Rose Bowl Parade 2026.
Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals
Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals LIVE GAME: Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals look to seize control of thrilling Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals. Every team in the Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals has two wins apiece as we go into the final two game weeks. Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals will host Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals at Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals Park Stadium with the Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals a single point ahead of Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals in the standings and just one behind leaders Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals.
Gray, acquired in a November trade from the St. Louis Cardinals, was one of Boston’s key rotation additions, along with Ranger Suarez, in the offseason. He was 14-8 with a 4.28 ERA in 2025.
“He’s very specific about his work. Every day has a purpose,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Gray. “Two hundred strikeouts, that’s something that we were looking for. The competitor. Every five days, this guy is going to give you everything.”
In his five career appearances against the Reds, Gray is 1-3 with a 4.18 ERA.
“It’s pretty much one of the only things that is continuing to push me, is to get to a World Series, to win a World Series, to pitch in big games,” said Gray. “I love the moment, and I am chasing that moment.”
Here’s the preview:
RED SOX (1-0): TBA
Pitching: RHP Sonny Gray
REDS (0-1): TBA
Pitching: RHP Brady Singer
Time: 4:10 p.m.
TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
Red Sox vs. Singer: Wilyer Abreu 2-5, Roman Anthony 1-2, Willson Contreras 2-7, Jarren Duran 3-10, Caleb Durbin 0-1, Isiah Kiner-Falefa 6-16, Marcelo Mayer 0-1, Andruw Monasterio 1-4, Carlos Narváez 1-1, Ceddanne Rafaela 1-5, Trevor Story 0-4, Connor Wong 2-8, Masataka Yoshida 2-7
Reds vs. Gray: Will Benson 0-5, Elly De La Cruz 5-11, TJ Friedl 1-8, Ke’Bryan Hayes 4-17, Nathaniel Lowe 2-10, Noelvi Marte 0-5, Matt McLain 2-2, Spencer Steer 4-9, Tyler Stephenson 0-8, Eugenio Suárez 7-13, Jose Trevino 0-2
Stat of the day: Sal Stewart become the first Cincinnati rookie since 1958 to record three hits on Opening Day.
Notes: Cincinnati sends righthander Brady Singer (14-12, 4.03 in 2025) to the mound … With Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo already on the injured list to start the season, Singer is considered one of Cincinnati’s most durable pitchers, leading the Reds with 32 starts last season … Singer has made five career starts against Boston, posting a 2-2 record with a 4.88 ERA over 24 innings … His last appearance against the Red Sox, on July 1 in Boston, ended after just three innings when he allowed two earned runs on three hits.
Cam Kerry can be reached at cam.kerry@globe.com.
The onlookers who stumble upon a No Kings Day protest in Michigan
Get out of the house with these SF events
Inside the Dallas furry convention drawing thousands and sparking culture battles
Jannik Sinner’s Girlfriend Laila Hasanovic Stuns in Skirt Before Miami Open Final
![!$+∇√$[+[!LIVESTREAMs!]+] Minnesota Wild vs Boston Bruins Live Free Streams On Tv Channel 2026-03-29](https://i3.wp.com/encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcReQZPBURuIIuh0fPF6YTAqOY-y1_BeWJWzPA&s&w=80&resize=80,80&ssl=1 "!$+∇√$[+[!LIVESTREAMs!]+] Minnesota Wild vs Boston Bruins Live Free Streams On Tv Channel 2026-03-29")
!$+∇√$[+[!LIVESTREAMs!]+] Minnesota Wild vs Boston Bruins Live Free Streams On Tv Channel 2026-03-29
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
JD Vance says he was ‘obsessed’ with UFOs, believes aliens are actually ‘demons’
The EU's recipe for trade deals : easy on beef, tough on wine
Photos: ‘No Kings’ protests across the country
Jeffries declines to break with indicted Democrat after ethics panel’s guilty verdict
Hundreds of thousands march through London in stand against the far right
-
Sports1 week agoIOC addresses execution of 19-year-old Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi
-
New Mexico7 days agoClovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured
-
Miami, FL3 days agoJannik Sinner’s Girlfriend Laila Hasanovic Stuns in Ab-Revealing Post Amid Miami Open
-
Tennessee6 days agoTennessee Police Investigating Alleged Assault Involving ‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson
-
Minneapolis, MN3 days agoBoy who shielded classmate during school shooting receives Medal of Honor
-
Technology7 days agoYouTube job scam text: How to spot it fast
-
Science1 week agoRecord Heat Meets a Major Snow Drought Across the West
-
Politics1 week agoSchumer gambit fails as DHS shutdown hits 36 days and airport lines grow