If the Boston Celtics want to prove they're one of the best teams in basketball, they can make quite a statement by winning the first-ever NBA Cup.
The NBA kicked off its inaugural In-Season Tournament in early November, with 30 teams divided into six groups of five (three in the Eastern Conference; three in the Western Conference) to participate in Group Stage action.
The Celtics, who are in Group C along with the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic, beat Brooklyn handily in their first Group State game on Nov. 10, but they still have a long road ahead of them if they want to reach the semifinals and championship game in Las Vegas.
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See below for Boston's full schedule and results for Group C, followed by a look at the Group C standings, which we'll update after each game.
Celtics' Group C schedule
Boston's four Group Stage games are spread out over a 19-day span from Nov. 10 to Nov. 28. Each contest counts as one of the team's 82 regular-season games. Every game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Boston.
- Friday, Nov. 10: Celtics 121, Brooklyn Nets 107
- Friday, Nov. 17: Celtics 108, Raptors 105
- Friday, Nov. 24: Magic 113, Celtics 96
- Tuesday, Nov. 28: Celtics 124, Bulls 97
Group C Standings
Each team in Group C will play each other once during Group Stage play. If two teams have the same record in group play, the first two tiebreakers are head-to-head record and point differential. Here are the updated Group C standings:
If the Celtics win Group C or are named the East Wild Card team -- the team with the best record in Group Play that finished second in its group -- they'll advance to the Knockout Rounds. In that scenario, the C's would play either the winner of East Group A or Group B (or the East Wild Card team) in a Quarterfinal game on Dec. 4 or 5. (Click here for East Group A and Group B standings.)
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Here is the schedule for the Knockout Rounds:
- Quarterfinals: Monday, Dec. 4 or Tuesday, Dec. 5 (hosted by higher seed)
- Semifinals: Thursday, Dec. 7 (in Las Vegas)
- Championship: Saturday, Dec. 9 (in Las Vegas)
For more details about the In-Season Tournament format, tiebreaker scenarios, prizes and more, check out our complete IST guide here.