The Golden State Warriors have finally punched their NBA Cup quarterfinals ticket, thanks to Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavericks defeated the Denver Nuggets on Friday night at Ball Arena, allowing the Warriors to secure Group C. Despite Dallas’ victory, Thompson was 0 for 8 from the field and did not score in 23 minutes of play. He was a plus-9.
After defeating the New Orleans Pelicans earlier in the night, the Warriors are 3-0 in group play, with one game remaining against the Denver Nuggets on December 3.
Andrew Wiggins, who scored a season-high 30 points in the Warriors’ win over the Pelicans, was asked about Golden State’s desire to win the second-ever NBA Cup.
“That’s our goal,” Wiggins told reporters in New Orleans.
“That’s what we want to do. We want to win the whole thing. We think we have a good chance. We’ve got the squad for it. So we’re hopeful.”
By winning Group C, the Warriors are guaranteed to be one of the top three Western Conference seeds.
The Warriors and Mavericks could finish with the same Group C record, but Golden State holds the head-to-head tiebreaker due to their 120-117 win on Nov. 12.
The 2024 NBA Cup quarterfinals take place on Tuesday, Nov. 12, and Wednesday, Nov. 13, in the home arenas of the higher seeds.
Las Vegas will host the NBA Cup semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 14, and the championship on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
Each player on the team that wins the NBA Cup receives $500,000 in prize money.
“Hell yeah,” Brandin Podziemski said on “Warriors Postgame Live” when asked if Golden State is playing with extra intensity in the NBA Cup games. “We want that money.”
