The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the road to the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Cup on Friday with a simple goal in mind.

Their target made clearer by the Toronto Raptors blitzing their way to a 4-0 record in Group A, leaving the Cavs to settle for second. The question is: can they advance as the Eastern Conference’s wildcard?

To do that, Cleveland not only needs to beat Atlanta, but preferably beat them big. If the Cavaliers lose, then their wildcard hopes are over. However, as things stand, they are on course.

Sitting at 2-1 in Group A, the Cavs are at +33, the best points differential among the second-place teams in the East, and the Milwaukee Bucks, who are level with the New York Knicks in a tightly contested Group C.

As things stand, the Cavs are in one of the best wildcard spots in the East, with the best points differential amongst the second-placed sides, taking away the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, who sit top of their respective groups.

However, it’s not as straightforward as that, as the Raptors are the only team that has punched their ticket to the next round of the NBA Cup.

Team

Group

Position

Points Diff

Toronto Raptors

Group A

QUALIFIED

+55

Orlando Magic

Group B

1st (3-0)

+61

Miami Heat

Group C

1st (3-1)

+49

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

GROUP A

2ND (2-1)

+33

New York Knicks

Group C

2nd (2-1)

+26

Detroit Pistons

Group B

2nd (2-1)

+24

Milwaukee Bucks

Group C

2nd (2-1)

+13

The Magic (Group B) and the Heat (Group C) are at the top, but their qualification is not yet confirmed. However, the Heat have completed their round-robin in Group C – both sides have a higher points differential than the Cavs.

The Magic are currently 3-0 in Group B, so the Cavs will want Orlando to win their final pool game against the Detroit Pistons and for the Bucks to beat the Knicks by a single-digit margin, preferably.

Cavs are still alive for a Wild Card berth via point differential. Here’s what needs to happen for them to advance:

1. Beat ATL on Friday
2. Finish with a better point differential than:
a. Miami (+49) IF New York beats Milwaukee tomorrow.
b. Milwaukee (+13) IF Milwaukee beats… https://t.co/9CwQE5qm5y

— Danny Cunningham (@RealDCunningham) November 27, 2025

If Detroit beats Orlando, then the Pistons would win Group B, and for the Magic, they would more than likely bag the wildcard spot.

If the Magic lose, the focus switches to Group C. New York beat Miami in pool play, so if they beat the Bucks, they will move to the top spot and qualify. Miami would secure the wildcard unless Cleveland beats Atlanta by 17 points or more.

If the Cavs win by 16 points, then they would be on the same points differential as Miami. From there, it’ll come down to total points scored in group play or their record from the prior regular season.

But one thing is sure: Cleveland will be focusing on winning. They will look to beat the Hawks and improve their points differential to secure the wildcard.

Atlanta goes into this game to pad its regular-season record, as it has been eliminated from NBA Cup contention.