The Golden State Warriors are the first team through to the NBA Cup quarterfinals following a pair of results in Western Conference Group C on Friday.
Andrew Wiggins' season-high 30 points led the Warriors to an unconvincing but still valuable 112-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center, before the Dallas Mavericks recorded an upset 123-120 win against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.
The Mavericks did the Warriors a major favor on Friday
Golden State needed a Dallas win to secure top spot in Group C, but that seemed unlikely given the Mavericks entered their game without superstar guard Luka Doncic. The visitors staved off a Nuggets comeback regardless, holding on for a three-point win after leading by 20 at half-time.
As well as being without Doncic, the Mavericks also had to withstand a poor shooting game from former Warrior guard Klay Thompson. The 5x All-Star went scoreless in just over 23 minutes, going 0-of-8 from the floor and 0-of-4 from three-point range.
Thompson was glued to the bench over the final three minutes and 20 seconds, with Dallas going on a 15-7 run during that period to overcome what was a five-point deficit with just under three minutes left.
It's not the first time the Golden State legend has been controversially benched by Jason Kidd as Thompson's averages on the season fall to 13.1 points on 38.1% shooting from the floor and 35.9% from beyond the arc.
The Mavericks' win pushes them to a 2-1 record in the NBA Cup, with the Pelicans and Nuggets both holding a 1-2 record, and the Memphis Grizzlies last after going winless through two games. While Dallas could tie Golden State on a 3-1 record, the latter has an unassailable hold on first-place thanks to their win over the Mavericks last week.
It will be the first time the Warriors have made the knockout rounds in the second iteration of the NBA Cup. They blew an opportunity in the final qualification game last year, giving up a 20+ point lead against the Sacramento Kings which saw them finish with a 2-2 record and third in the group.
Golden State have won their three NBA Cup games by a total of just 12 points, winning by three, four and five points against the Mavericks, Pelicans and Grizzlies. The Warriors will now have an opportunity to move through to Las Vegas where the semifinals and final will be played on December 14 and 20.