Wizards NBA Cup Group Starts With Stunning Upset

The Washington Wizards begin NBA Cup action soon, but other teams are already spicing things up.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 14, 2024

Nov 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) reacts after his basket to put the Hawks in the lead against the Boston Celtics in the fourth quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

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Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards were on the sidelines as the league began the Emirates NBA Cup.

The Wizards are in East Group C along with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls and the two teams in action on Tuesday night — the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics.

As the defending league champions, the Celtics were seen as massive favorites at home against the Hawks, who were playing without All-Star point guard Trae Young. However, the Hawks found a way to come back and escape Beantown with a 117-116 win.

The Hawks trailed 91-84 going into the fourth quarter, but that didn't matter to Atlanta as Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu and Dyson Daniels helped fuel a massive comeback to stun the Celtics at home.

Johnson had a triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists while Daniels had 28 points and six steals for the Hawks. The Celtics had 37 points from Jaylen Brown, 31 from Derrick White and Jayson Tatum added 20 of his own.

The win gives the Hawks an early lead in Group C play, but a one-point victory doesn't do much for point differential purposes.

The upset proves that any result can happen in the NBA Cup, and it gives opportunities for young teams like the Hawks to be competitive in a season when they otherwise wouldn't be.

That should be music to the Wizards' ears, and give them an opportunity to perhaps slide into the competitive nature that the tournament provides. The only downside is that the Celtics may be playing with a little more oomph against the Wizards later this month, but that should be an opportunity Washington welcomes.

The Wizards are the next team on the schedule for the Hawks in the NBA Cup group stage on Friday at State Farm Arena.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published Nov 14, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.