NBA Cup group assignments were revealed Wednesday morning by the league, and the Warriors were drawn into what might be the toughest of the six groups.
Golden State will face the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers in West Group C. The group stage of the in-season cup competition begins Oct. 31.
Houston added Kevin Durant via trade this offseason and Denver retooled by sending Michael Porter Jr. out in a trade that brought back Cameron Johnson from Brooklyn. Meanwhile, the Spurs are expecting 7-foot-4 former No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama back after he missed the last two months of last season with a blood clot in his shoulder.
The Warriors beat the Rockets in seven games to open last season’s playoffs, but lost a tight NBA Cup game in Houston in December, knocking them out in the quarterfinal round. A controversial foul call on Jonathan Kuminga in the game’s dying seconds gave Jalen Green — since traded in the Durant deal — two free throws to win the game for the Rockets, 91-90.
“I don’t even understand what just happened,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said postgame.
The semifinals of this year’s competition will be played Dec. 13 in Las Vegas and the final will be Dec. 16. The Bucks won last year’s competition over the Thunder, while the Lakers won the inaugural cup over the Pacers.
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The league groups teams based on their win-loss record from the preceding season. Each group winner will advance to the quarterfinal round, as will one wild card team — the best second-place team in group play — from each conference.
The groups are as follows:
West Group A: Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz
West Group B: Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans
West Group C: Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs
East Group A: Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards
East Group B: Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers
East Group C: Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks
