BULLS, CELTICS LOCK HORNS

They compete for East Group C honours in NBA Cup, with Cleveland also in the mix

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CHICAGO - The Chicago Bulls will take on the visiting Boston Celtics in a crucial NBA Cup encounter on Nov 29 (Nov 30, Singapore time).

Boston, Chicago and the Atlanta Hawks are all 2-1 in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Eastern Conference Group C standings. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 1-1 and sitting at the bottom on 0-3 are the Washington Wizards.

The permutations, however, are complex.

The Bulls will be the Group C champions if they beat the Celtics and the Hawks beat the Cavaliers. Chicago own the tiebreaker over Atlanta based on their head-to-head record over the Hawks this season.

If Chicago and Cleveland win, the Bulls would also finish first in Group C if the Cavaliers lose to the Wizards on Dec 3. That scenario would leave Chicago as the lone 3-1 team in the group.

But if the Bulls and Cavs finish 3-1, Cleveland will be the Group C winners based on their head-to-head victory over Chicago. The Bulls would need to win the point-differential tiebreaker against other 3-1 non-group champions to earn the Eastern Conference's lone wildcard spot.