Blazers Need Major Luck to Avoid Elimination in NBA Cup

Will Portland get eliminated on Friday?

Eva Geitheim | 2 Hours Ago

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

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Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers still have two games remaining in the group stages of the 2024 NBA Cup, but they could already get eliminated on Friday. If the Trail Blazers lose their group stage game against the Sacramento Kings on Friday and the Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in a group stage game on Friday, the Trail Blazers will officially be eliminated from cup contention.

The following elimination scenarios are also applicable for today's games ⬇️ https://t.co/jletdUEOcJ pic.twitter.com/z0njCeTVaB
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 29, 2024

The positive for the Trail Blazers is that both defeating the Kings and the Lakers losing are not far-fetched scenarios. The Kings have had an inconsistent season, and rank 11th in the Western Conference with a 9-10 record. The Trail Blazers trail by only half a game at 7-12 on the season. The Kings have won just one of their last five games, and by no means are playing near their peak this season.

The Trail Blazers have also won just one of their last five games, and the Kings did defeat them 111-98 earlier this season. That Kings win did come early on in the season in October. The Trail Blazers might not be significantly better than they were in October, but they have shown some more fight in recent weeks.

Even if the Trail Blazers do not win, they will not officially be eliminated unless the Lakers defeat the Thunder. The Lakers have lost three of their last four games and are set to take on a Thunder team that is the best in the Western Conference. The Thunder are 14-4 and have won each of their last three games. They are favored to defeat the Lakers.

If the Trail Blazers do remain alive in the NBA Cup after Friday's games, their chances at advancing to the knockout stages would partially rely on their performance in their final group stage game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.

The Trail Blazers are currently 1-1 in the NBA Cup this year heading into Friday's game. They defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first game of the NBA Cup on Nov. 12, but lost to the Houston Rockets 10 days later.