The reigning NBA champion finally made its imprint on the 2024 NBA Cup on Tuesday night.

The Boston Celtics handed the Cleveland Cavaliers their first loss of the 2024-25 campaign to move to 1-1 in pool play.

Boston previously suffered a loss to the Atlanta Hawks in pool play, so it needs to win out and get some help to top East Group C.

Tuesday's biggest surprise came from West Group B, where the San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder without Victor Wembanyama.

The Los Angeles Lakers still control West Group B, but the result could be a step in the right direction for the Spurs to advance.

The six group winners and the best second-place teams in each conference advance to the NBA Cup quarterfinals.

East Group A

1. Orlando (2-0; +37)

2. New York (2-0; +14)

3. Brooklyn (1-1; -1)

4. Philadelphia (0-2; -24)

5. Charlotte (0-2; -26)

The Brooklyn Nets picked up their first NBA Cup win of the season to remain mathematically alive in East Group A.

Brooklyn's win dumped the Charlotte Hornets to 0-2 along with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Nets and Sixers play on Friday night in Philadelphia.

The Orlando Magic and New York Knicks should still be viewed as the front-runners to capture East Group A.

Neither team plays an NBA Cup game on Friday and they do not meet in the competition until December 3 at Madison Square Garden.

Prediction: 1. New York, 2. Orlando, 3. Philadelphia, 4. Brooklyn, 5. Charlotte

East Group B

1. Detroit (2-0; +6)

2. Milwaukee (1-0; +14)

3. Miami (1-1; +11)

4. Indiana (0-1; -13)

5. Toronto (0-2; -18)

No NBA Cup action took place in East Group B on Tuesday.

The group takes center stage on Friday, when the Indiana Pacers visit the Milwaukee Bucks.

Indiana will be playing for its life in the competition given where it stands in East Group B, while Milwaukee will try to collect a second win and eclipse the Detroit Pistons for first place.

Damian Lillard's return from concussion protocol should help the Bucks deal with the Pacers, and if that is the case, the Bucks have to be seen as the favorite to emerge from East Group B.

Prediction: 1. Milwaukee, 2. Miami, 3. Detroit, 4. Indiana, 5. Toronto

East Group C

1. Atlanta (2-0; +13)

2. Boston (1-1; +2)

3. Cleveland (1-1; +15)

4. Washington (0-1; -12)

5. Chicago (0-1; -18)

The Boston Celtics shook up the dynamic in East Group C by ending the Cleveland Cavaliers' perfect start to the season.

Boston is ahead of the Cavs on the head-to-head tiebreaker despite owning a worse point differential.

Boston's problem is that it already lost to the Atlanta Hawks at the start of group play. The Celtics need the Cavs to beat the Hawks on November 29 to bring more chaos into the group.

If that occurs, Atlanta, Boston and Cleveland would all have one loss and the point differential tiebreaker would be put into use.

Atlanta and Boston will try to pad those point differentials on Friday against the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, respectively.

Prediction: 1. Boston, 2. Cleveland, 3. Atlanta, 4. Washington, 5. Chicago

West Group A

1. Houston (1-0; +21)

2. Portland (1-0; +14)

3. Minnesota (1-1; -10)

4. Sacramento (0-1; -4)

5. Los Angeles Clippers (0-1; -21)

Friday will be a pivotal day in West Group A.

The Los Angeles Clippers play host to the Sacramento Kings and the Houston Rockets welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to town.

Houston and Portland could use a win to feel comfortable about a lead in a crowded group, while the Kings and Clippers are likely fighting to stay alive in the tournament.

The Rockets visit the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento to close out group play, so there is still a chance that the Kings-Clippers winner and the Wolves have a say in West Group A.

Prediction: 1. Minnesota, 2. LA Clippers, 3. Houston, 4. Portland, 5. Sacramento

West Group B

1. Los Angeles Lakers (2-0; +11)

2. Oklahoma City (1-1; +10)

3. San Antonio (1-1; +1)

4. Phoenix (1-1; -8)

5. Utah (0-2; -14)

The Los Angeles Lakers took over West Group B with a win over the Utah Jazz and some help from the San Antonio Spurs, who upset the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Los Angeles benefitted from a 37-point performance out of rookie Dalton Knecht to down Utah, while San Antonio rode a Chris Paul double-double to its first win in group play.

OKC and the Lakers square off on November 29, so there is still a chance the Thunder top the group, but they showed some defensive vulnerabilities in the loss to the Spurs.

The Spurs already lost to the Lakers, so their ceiling might be the best second-place team unless the Lakers stumble against either OKC or Phoenix.

Prediction: 1. LA Lakers, 2. OKC, 3. San Antonio, 4. Phoenix, 5. Utah

West Group C

1. Golden State (2-0; +8)

2. Dallas (1-1; +38)

3. Denver (1-1; +5)

4. New Orleans (1-1; -34)

5. Memphis (0-2; -17)

The Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets earned crucial wins on Tuesday night.

The Mavs took down the New Orleans Pelicans by a 132-91 score to pad the biggest point differential in West Group C.

Denver used a Russell Westbrook triple-double to get past the Memphis Grizzlies and set up a must-win clash with Dallas on Friday at home.

The Dallas-Denver winner will be the No. 1 contender to the Golden State Warriors to win West Group C.

Golden State needs a win in New Orleans on Friday to advance with a win over Denver on December 3.

Prediction: 1. Golden State, 2. Denver, 3. Dallas, 4. New Orleans, 5. Memphis