NBA In-Season Tournament takeaways: Lakers remain undefeated as four teams bow out

Lakers and Celtics are in great shape to advance to knockout stage

We've passed the halfway point for the group stage of the NBA's first-ever In-Season Tournament, and with only three nights of group play left, the tournament itself is starting to take shape. Four teams have officially been eliminated from contention, several others are already on the brink, and while nobody has clinched a berth in the knockout stage yet, a few teams are right on the precipice.

What were the highlights of night No. 4? There were plenty to choose from. James Harden earned his first victory as a Clipper in a 106-100 thriller over the Houston Rockets, in which his four-point play with six seconds remaining swung the game. The Celtics held off the Raptors despite a wide open game-tying 3-point attempt from Scottie Barnes, the Pelicans earned their biggest win of the season when they managed to stave off a Nuggets comeback, and Kevin Durant and Jordan Clarkson combined for 75 points in one of the highest-scoring games of the tournament.

We now have three nights of group play left, so what were our major takeaways from night No. 4:

Who's going to the knockout round?

Nobody has clinched a spot in the knockout round, but a couple of teams are getting very, very close. We'll start with the only undefeated team in the tournament: the Los Angeles Lakers. If they beat the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, they will win West Group A and advance. Even if they lose, they can still win the group through a three-way tie with the Jazz and Suns. Oh, and if they don't? Their plus-42 point-differential puts them in solid shape to potentially get a wild card spot.

Boston's second win only has the Celtics halfway through its group, but remember, they've already beaten arguably the two hardest teams in their group against Brooklyn and Toronto. The Celtics will be heavily favored over Orlando and Chicago, and thanks to that head-to-head win over Brooklyn, might only need one more win to advance out of East Group C.

Things get a bit messier after that, though. The Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks, both 2-0 in East Group B, will face off on Nov. 28 with the winner in prime position to advance. The Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves are in a similar position in West Group C, though they will battle on Nov. 24. East Group A currently belongs to the Indiana Pacers, who need only beat the Hawks and Pistons to advance. However, the 2-1 76ers and 1-1 Cavaliers will face off on Nov. 21 with the winner being among the likelier East wildcard teams.

That leaves West Group B, where a fascinating situation is brewing. All four teams have won at least once and all four teams have lost at least once. Nov. 24 will tell us a lot more about what ultimately happens there, as the Nuggets will play the Rockets and the Pelicans will play the Clippers. A victor could emerge on Tuesday, but more likely, this thing will come down to the end.

Who's going home?

Only four teams have been fully eliminated through four nights of In-Season Tournament games: the 0-3 Spurs, Grizzlies, Wizards and Pistons. None of those eliminations are all that surprising. Their combined regular-season record is 9-39. Soon, though, we'll start to see some better teams get knocked out, and some are already on the precipice.

The Clippers came one James Harden four-point play away from getting eliminated on Friday. Instead they survive, for now, but as one of only two two-loss teams in their group, their only real hope would be for a five-way, 2-2 tie. The same logic applies to the Mavericks, who are also in their group. A five-way tie in West Group C, where the Kings and Timberwolves are both 2-0 and have yet to play each other, would be impossible. Therefore, the 1-2 Thunder are going to need to win their next game and really run up the score in the hopes that it lands them a wildcard berth. With a plus-27 point-differential already, they'd be well-positioned to do so if a 2-2 team manages to advance.

The East groups are a bit more open. The Pistons, Wizards, Hornets and Bulls are the only two-loss teams in the conference. Not coincidentally, though, because those are the teams with the four worst regular-season records in the East. Everybody else is in position to win their way forward.

Clippers figuring it out?

Harden's four-point play is going to get the bulk of the attention, but in the grand scheme of things, it was just a nice shot. He only took it because Kawhi Leonard couldn't get a clean look over Jabari Smith Jr. Harden being able to create a scoring opportunity late in the shot-clock obviously has a ton of value, but the bigger story played out over the entire game.

The Clippers benched Russell Westbrook in this game, starting Terence Mann in his place and giving the former MVP only 17 minutes. The Clippers lost his minutes by nine points. They lost PJ Tucker's by 24. But when Harden was on the floor? The Clippers were +21. Generally speaking, when the Clippers surrounded Harden with shooters, good things were happening. That was particularly evident down the stretch, when he was able to run properly spaced pick-and-rolls with Ivica Zubac, knowing that nobody could help off of Leonard, Mann, Paul George or Norman Powell. The two Zubac dunks in the final 2:02 of the fourth quarter were ultimately just as important as Harden's four-point play, and they were both generated by Houston's defense prioritizing Harden in the pick-and-roll.

This is how Harden teams are meant to play. Give him shooting and he can almost always get you a clean look. The Clippers did so on Friday and were rewarded with their first victory of the Harden era.

[Nov 18, 2023 at 1:09 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Clippers get their first win with James Harden

It was a wild ride that included several comebacks, but when the dust settled, the Los Angeles Clippers emerged victorious over the Houston Rockets, 104-100. James Harden was the hero with a stepback 3-pointer that turned into the game-winning four-point play. It was Harden's first win as a Clipper, and it help Los Angeles stay alive in the In-Season Tournament.

[Nov 18, 2023 at 1:07 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Harden with his trademark!

Now THAT is why you trade for James Harden. With the game tied at 100, Harden just hit his patented step back 3-pointer. ... and got fouled in the process. Mere seconds ago, Alperen Sengun could have given the Rockets the lead at the foul line. Now? The Clippers lead 104-100 with six seconds left on the clock.

[Nov 18, 2023 at 1:03 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Sengun to the line

Kawhi Leonard looked like he'd stood up Alperen Sengun, but the crafty big man drew the foul when Leonard left his feet on the fake. Sengun misses the first and hits the second. Tie game at 100 with 29.1 seconds left. Clippers take their last timeout. Both teams will get a possession.

[Nov 18, 2023 at 1:01 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Harden's dish gives the Clippers the lead!

That last possession is more or less what the Clippers hoped for when they traded for James Harden. Nobody can help in the pick-and-roll because Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Norm Powell are such good shooters. So when the big man jumps up to meet him in the paint, he can just sneak a little dump pass into Ivica Zubac for a dunk. The Clippers have gotten a couple of big buckets on that play.

[Nov 18, 2023 at 12:56 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Can the Clippers finally break the clutch curse?

Reminder: the Clippers are 0-5 in clutch games this season, and have been outscored by 21 points in those minutes. This is a real problem for them right now. 

[Nov 18, 2023 at 12:54 am ET · Sam Quinn]

A game between James Harden and the Rockets is turning into a defensive slugfest

I can't say I saw this coming. The Rockets, owners of one of the NBA's worst defenses for the past three seasons, and James Harden, perhaps the NBA's most notably bad defender over the past decade, are currently locked in a 94-94 slugfest. We've had four total points in the last three and a half minutes. 

[Nov 18, 2023 at 12:51 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Clippers win the challenge

There's no foul on Kawhi Leonard on that Dillon Brooks layup attempt, and we'll jump it up with 4:16 remaining in a 94-94 tie. Note: Ivica Zubac has only won one jump ball all season.

[Nov 18, 2023 at 12:49 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Will the better spaced Clippers lineup be enough?

Worth noting here, on the night Russell Westbrook moved to the bench. His night seemingly ended at the 8:05 mark of the fourth quarter. It's been around four minutes of play since, and the Clippers have scored just eight points. The defense has held the Rockets off, but, right now, the idea of closing around James Harden as the primary ball-handler and extra shooting on the floor to help him has yielded mixed results.

[Nov 18, 2023 at 12:46 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Last game of the night might be the best

The Clippers, on a six-game losing streak, are tied at 94 with the Rockets, winners of six in a row, at home. With just under five minutes to play, will the Clippers finally break their losing streak? Or will Houston continue its scorching run. 

[Nov 18, 2023 at 12:45 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Phoenix survives

It was a tough battle on the road in Utah, but the Suns have survived to earn their first victory of the In-Season Tournament. At 1-1, the Suns can still earn a wildcard berth in the tournament by beating Portland and Memphis. Utah, meanwhile, will play for its tournament life on Tuesday against the 3-0 Lakers.

[Nov 18, 2023 at 12:39 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Durant with the dagger for real this time

Okay, last time I said Durant daggered the Jazz, it didn't quite work out that way. But this time it's almost certainly for real. Durant drills a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left to give the Suns a two-possession lead. It's 129-125, and as well as Jordan Clarkson played, he's just in a real mismatch in a duel with Kevin Durant.

[Nov 18, 2023 at 12:35 am ET · Sam Quinn]

A big review

Jordan Clarkson missed that 3-pointer, but Devin Booker was called for a foul on the rebound, giving the Jazz two free throws and a chance to cut the deficit down to 129-128. Phoenix is challenging, but on first viewing, it looked like it should be a foul.

[Nov 18, 2023 at 12:32 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Jordan Clarkson to the rescue!

That's 34 points for Jordan Clarkson after that acrobatic 3-pointer! A quick 8-0 run gives Utah a real chance to win this thing despite the nine-point deficit only a few minutes ago. Suns 124, Jazz 123 with under one minute to play.