The NBA Cup has quickly gone from a polarizing idea to a staple of professional basketball. The in-season tournament, which took a page out of European soccer leagues, made its debut in 2023. The multi-stage tournament features four group play games from each team, all of which count toward a franchise's regular season record. Eight teams advance to the knockout rounds, and the eventual winner is deemed the NBA Cup champion.
The lone game that doesn't count toward regular season standings is the championship game, also known as game number 83. While the in-season tournament was a hard concept to grasp at first, the NBA Cup has become a fan favorite in recent years. The intensity and importance of regular season games are turned up a notch, and fans have enjoyed watching teams play on their colorful courts in their City Edition jerseys.
NBA Cup games are about to kick off. So far, the 2026-27 season has been ravaged by injuries. Anthony Edwards, Kawhi Leonard, and Jalen Williams are just a few who have already been sidelined. Fans need some games with meaning to break the tension of the injury frustrations. So, who will follow in the footsteps of the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, and most recently, the New York Knicks as NBA Cup champions?
NBA Cup groups
West Group A:
Denver Nuggets
Houston Rockets
Phoenix Suns
Dallas Mavericks
Utah Jazz
West Group B:
Oklahoma City Thunder
Minnesota Timberwolves
Los Angeles Clippers
New Orleans Pelicans
Memphis Grizzlies
West Group C:
San Antonio Spurs
Los Angeles Lakers
Portland Trail Blazers
Golden State Warriors
Sacramento Kings
East Group A:
Detroit Pistons
Toronto Raptors
Orlando Magic
Milwaukee Bucks
Brooklyn Nets
East Group B:
New York Knicks
Cleveland Cavaliers
Philadelphia 76ers
Miami Heat
Indiana Pacers
East Group C:
Boston Celtics
Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Washington Wizards
In-season tournament schedule
Note: All times are in Eastern Time Zone
Oct. 30:
- Charlotte Hornets @ Washington Wizards at 7
- Chicago Bulls @ Boston Celtics at 7:30
- Detroit Pistons @ Brooklyn Nets at 7:30
- New York Knicks @ Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30
- Orlando Magic @ Toronto Raptors at 7:30
- Indiana Pacers @ Miami Heat at 8
- Houston Rockets @ Dallas Mavericks at 8
- Los Angeles Clippers @ Minnesota Timberwolves at 8
- Los Angeles Lakers @ Golden State Warriors at 10
- Denver Nuggets @ Phoenix Suns at 10
Nov. 6:
- Washington Wizards @ Atlanta Hawks at 7
- Boston Celtics @ Charlotte Hornets at 7
- Philadelphia 76ers 2 Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:30
- Utah Jazz @ Dallas Mavericks at 8
- Oklahoma City Thunder @ Memphis Grizzlies at 8
- Toronto Raptors @ Milwaukee Bucks at 8
- Minnesota Timberwolves @ New Orleans Pelicans at 8
- Portland Trail Blazers @ Los Angeles Lakers at 10
- San Antonio Spurs @ Sacramento Kings at 10
Nov. 13:
- New York Knicks @ Indiana Pacers at 7
- Milwaukee Bucks @ Orlando Magic at 7
- Cleveland Cavaliers @ Miami Heat at 8
- Atlanta Hawks @ Chicago Bulls at 8
- Memphis Grizzlies @ New Orleans Pelicans at 8
- Utah Jazz @ Houston Rockets at 8:30
- Golden State Warriors @ San Antonio Spurs at 9:30
- Portland Trail Blazers @ Sacramento Kings at 10
- Oklahoma City Thunder @ Los Angeles Clippers at 10:30
Nov. 20:
- Charlotte Hornets @ Atlanta Hawks at 7
- Orlando Magic @ Brooklyn Nets at 7:30
- Indiana Pacers @ Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:30
- Toronto Raptors @ Detroit Pistons at 7:30
- Washington Wizards @ Chicago Bulls at 8
- New Orleans Pelicans @ Oklahoma City Thunder at 8
- Phoenix Suns @ Utah Jazz at 9:30
- Houston Rockets @ Denver Nuggets at 10
- Sacramento Kings @ Los Angeles Lakers at 10
Nov. 24:
Article Continues Below- Detroit Pistons @ Orlando Magic at 7
- Boston Celtics @ Washington Wizards at 8
- Dallas Mavericks @ Denver Nuggets at 10
Nov. 25:
- Miami Heat @ Philadelphia 76ers at 5
- Chicago Bulls @ Charlotte Hornets at 7
- Cleveland Cavaliers @ New York Knicks at 7:30
- Minnesota Timberwolves @ Oklahoma City Thunder at 7:30
- Los Angeles Clippers @ Memphis Grizzlies at 8
- Brooklyn Nets @ Milwaukee Bucks at 8
- Phoenix Suns @ Houston Rockets at 8:30
- Sacramento Kings @ Golden State Warriors at 10
- San Antonio Spurs @ Portland Trail Blazers at 10
Nov. 27:
- Miami Heat @ New York Knicks at 7
- Milwaukee Bucks @ Detroit Pistons at 7:30
- Philadelphia 76ers @ Indiana Pacers at 7:30
- Brooklyn Nets @ Toronto Raptors at 7:30
- Atlanta Hawks @ Boston Celtics at 8
- Memphis Grizzlies @ Minnesota Timberwolves at 8:30
- Dallas Mavericks @ Phoenix Suns at 9
- Los Angeles Lakers @ San Antonio Spurs at 9:30
- Denver Nuggets @ Utah Jazz at 9:30
- New Orleans Pelicans @ Los Angeles Clippers at 9:30
- Golden State Warriors @ Portland Trail Blazers at 9:30
Knockout Rounds:
- Quarterfinals on Dec. 4-5
- Semifinals on Dec. 8 and/or Dec. 9
- Championship on Dec. 11
NBA Cup predictions
Western Conference
West Group A is arguably the most stacked group in the field. All five teams in the field remain healthy and want to compete for the championship this year. No team is as hot as the Rockets, though. The only 5-0 team in the NBA will continue their advanced play during in-season tournament games to make the knockout stage. There, they will be joined by Group B's Oklahoma City Thunder.
That may come as a surprise to many. After all, the Thunder not only lost Jalen Williams for potentially the entire season, but maybe Cason Wallace, too. Others like Alex Caruso and Chet Holmgren have already been dealing with injury problems just a week and a half into the season as well. Still, the Thunder have historically impressive depth and are more built to last this battle of attrition than anybody else. They also have the luxury of being in a poor group, where the Minnesota Timberwolves are already down Anthony Edwards, the Los Angeles Clippers haven't gotten a healthy Brandon Ingram yet, and the New Orleans Pelicans haven't proven to anyone that they can win games. The Memphis Grizzlies are 4-0, but they and Ty Jerome seem likely to fall back to Earth at some point soon.
That leaves West Group B, which will be won by the San Antonio Spurs and have the Portland Trail Blazers enter as a Wild Card. The Spurs are young and hungry, and the Trail Blazers are loaded with more talent than given credit for.
Eastern Conference
The Western Conference has been hyped up as superior for years, but that may no longer be the case, and there are certainly going to be some battles with NBA Cup games out east. Group A shouldn't be closely contested, though. With Kawhi Leonard already hurt and expected to miss at least a couple of the in-season tournament games, the Toronto Raptors can be ruled out. Injury issues are similarly plaguing the Orlando Magic, who are down Jalen Suggs and Paolo Banchero. The Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets are rebuilding, which leaves a Detroit Pistons team that likely would have been favored regardless of the injuries.
Group B, meanwhile, is going to be a blood bath. The New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, and Indiana Pacers all have the NBA Finals on their mind more so than the NBA Cup, though. The Knicks are in the midst of a championship hangover, the 76ers are an old team with injury concerns that may save themselves for the playoffs rather than going all out for the NBA Cup, and the Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton is another star who has to be discussed in injury dialogue. The Giannis Antetokoumpo-Bam Adebayo pairing still needs time to work out the kinks, too. That leaves the Cavaliers to win that group, and there may be too much self sabotage for the wild card team to emerge from Group B.
That leaves two teams, the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks, coming out of Group C. Boston always finds a way to win regular season games, and that shouldn't change without Jaylen Brown on the team. The Hawks are littered with point-of-attack defenders who can make anyone's life miserable on a random NBA Cup night.
NBA Cup championship game
Sometimes, surprise teams can go on runs in the NBA Cup knockout stage. That will be the case this year, as the Hawks will make it to the championship game despite being a wild card team. Ultimately, the Hawks will fall short against the Rockets. Between Kevin Durant's scoring, Alperen Sengun's playmaking, Amen Thompson's athleticism, and all of the other pieces Houston has, the NBA Cup seems like a great time for the Rockets to showcase who they are.