What Warriors’ NBA Cup knockout round berth means

By beating the Pelicans and getting some help in the form of the Nuggets’ loss to Dallas on Friday night, the Warriors became the first team in the league to punch a ticket to the knockout round of the NBA Cup.

The Warriors (12-3) are 3-0 in NBA Cup play, winners of the West Group C. Margin of victory matters in the NBA Cup, and the Warriors have won their three games by only a cumulative 12 points. But since they’re the only undefeated team in Group C and have beaten the Mavericks already, they secured a quarterfinal game.

That quarterfinal game’s time, opponent and location are to be determined, though it’ll be on either Dec. 10 or Dec. 11. The Warriors still have one group stage game remaining, on Dec. 3 against the Nuggets.

Head coach Steve Kerr and various Warriors have said that the team is motivated to win the NBA Cup, which comes with prize money for both players and coaches — with the biggest bonuses awarded to the NBA Cup champion.

“We’re going for the money, we want the money,” Brandin Podziemski said after the Pelicans win.

The Warriors have group play wins over the Mavericks, Pelicans and Grizzlies. Their participation in the single-elimination knockout round — and possibly beyond — would be an opportunity for some of Golden State’s less experienced players to feel an elevated competitive environment.

Last year, the Warriors didn’t get out of the group stage because they blew a 24-point lead to the Kings. The Lakers won last year’s NBA Cup, then called the In-Season Tournament, but didn’t carry momentum through the rest of the season.

The NBA Cup is designed to generate interest in the league before Christmas time, with the semifinals and championship played in Las Vegas. The Warriors still have work to get there, but their ticket to the dance is secured.

“That’s our goal, we want to win the whole thing,” wing Andrew Wiggins said Friday. “We feel we have a good chance. We have the squad for it.”

Notable

— Victor Wembanyama is set to return on Saturday night in San Antonio against the Warriors. The French phenom had missed the past three games with a right knee contusion.

— Saturday night’s matchup is the back end Warriors’ second back-to-back of the season. They swept the Pelicans in two straight home games earlier this year.

— Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Gary Payton II and Lindy Waters III are each listed as probably on the official injury report with minor ailments. They’re expected to play.

— Andrew Wiggins has scored 79 combined points over the past three games, going 28-for-43 (65.1%) from the floor.

— Former Warrior Chris Paul is averaging 10.8 points and 8.6 assists per game, organizing the Spurs and helping lift them from the bottom of the lottery to .500. He’s the second-oldest active player in the league, behind only LeBron James.

— Legendary Spurs coach Gregg Popovich remains away from the team after suffering what the team described as a mild stroke earlier this month. Kerr and Popovich have been close for decades, they’ve been in touch as Popovich recovers.

“He means the world to me,” Kerr told reporters in San Antonio. It’s tough to know that he’s going through this medical situation. I think about him all the time.”

— Jonathan Kuminga was a late scratch for the Spurs game with an illness, the team said.