2025 NBA Cup: Schedule, format, groups, updates and more

The third iteration of the Emirates NBA Cup continued on Friday, as we enter one other week of group play.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers received the inaugural in-season event trophy in 2023, with James claiming the honors of event MVP. Final season, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks raised their NBA Cup banner over the eventual NBA champions, the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder.

However which staff will declare its stake for the {hardware} in Las Vegas this 12 months, and may it proceed that event momentum into the postseason?

This is what you must know concerning the in-season event, together with rule modifications for this 12 months, takeaways from the week’s greatest video games, schedule and scores.

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Takeaways | FAQ
Scores | Cup standings

Miami stomps Chicago to arrange crucial East Group C showdown

The Miami Warmth have had the Chicago Bulls’ quantity in high-stakes video games of late, eliminating Chicago within the play-in spherical three seasons in a row. It isn’t play-in season but, however the Warmth did the subsequent smartest thing Friday, all however eliminating the Bulls from the NBA Cup with a dominant win in Chicago.

It was a bunch effort for the Warmth, who broke the sport open with a 28-7 run to start out the second quarter. Eight Miami gamers scored in double figures, led by large man Kel’el Ware’s 20 factors. He and Bam Adebayo successfully blockaded the basket on the different finish. The Warmth led by 27 factors by three quarters, at which level the Bulls have been taking pictures simply 14-of-29 (48%) on the rim.

The ten-6 Warmth are actually in a digital tie for fourth place within the East, a powerful place with All-Star guard Tyler Herro focusing on a return from offseason ankle surgical procedure subsequent week. In Cup play, the Warmth are 2-1 with a sturdy plus-46 level differential, and so they’ll face a Milwaukee Bucks staff doubtless lacking Giannis Antetokounmpo of their remaining Cup sport subsequent Wednesday. Miami wants a win and a few exterior assist to hitch the 3-0 Toronto Raptors, who clinched East Group A on Friday evening, within the knockout rounds. — Zach Kram

FAQ (by Tim Bontemps)

The NBA unveiled the six teams for the third version of its in-season event — now referred to as the Emirates NBA Cup. This is a take a look at every thing you will have to know concerning the return of the competitors.

What’s the format?

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has had a long-standing fascination with European soccer. Establishing an in-season cup competitors inside the NBA schedule got here from soccer leagues having each a regular-season title, received by the staff with probably the most factors over the complete 12 months, and a separate event (or, in some leagues, a number of tournaments) that runs concurrently with the league season. In England, for instance, there are the assorted divisions — led by the Premier League — and likewise the FA Cup competitors. However not like these European leagues, which play their cup competitions exterior of their league schedules, the NBA Cup is constructed into the regular-season slate. The 30 NBA groups are cut up into six five-team teams — three that includes Jap Convention groups, and three comprising Western Convention groups — with every staff then taking part in one sport in opposition to the opposite 4 in its group. The winner of every group, plus the staff with the very best document among the many non-group winners, will then advance to the knockout stage of the competitors.

How will this impression the regular-season schedule and standings?

Usually, the NBA sends out a full 82-game schedule in mid-August. Now, the league sends out solely 80 video games and leaves a niche for roughly every week to fill in later, relying on how the group stage of the NBA Cup performs out.

The 2 groups from the East and West that lose within the quarterfinals will play their 82nd sport in opposition to each other on one in every of 4 dates: Dec. 11, 12, 14 or 15. In the meantime, the 22 groups that fail to qualify for the knockout rounds may have their remaining two video games scheduled — one at dwelling and one on the street — on Dec. 11 or 12 and 14 or 15 in opposition to others eradicated within the group stage.

The groups that attain the NBA Cup’s finale will really play 83 video games — although the championship sport will not rely towards the standings or any statistical markers. All 4 groups that make it to Las Vegas for the semifinals may have accomplished their 82 video games, and will not want anything added. The extra wrinkle added to this 12 months’s schedule is the chance that just a few dates on the calendar could transfer round. On Dec. 8, there are at the moment three video games scheduled: the Sacramento Kings on the Indiana Pacers; the Phoenix Suns on the Minnesota Timberwolves; and the San Antonio Spurs on the New Orleans Pelicans. If any of these groups are taking part in within the quarterfinals, going down on Dec. 9 and 10, these video games would transfer to Dec. 7 (a choice that will be made by Nov. 29, the day after the top of the group stage).

This additionally would solely be a difficulty if one of many groups have been taking part in on Dec. 9. In the event that they’re taking part in Dec. 10, nothing will change. The opposite scheduling quirk is that there are at the moment eight groups — the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, LA Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards — scheduled to play on Dec. 17, the day after the championship sport in Las Vegas.

Any staff that makes it to the semifinals in Las Vegas would have that sport moved later into the schedule to keep away from back-to-back video games. The NBA made this alteration in an effort to keep away from having empty days on the calendar whereas trying to attenuate back-to-back video games for all groups as a lot as attainable.

Are the semifinals and finals nonetheless being performed in Las Vegas?

For this season, sure. Subsequent 12 months, nonetheless, the semifinals — just like the quarterfinals — shall be performed at dwelling websites. Having groups go to Sin Metropolis for every week (and, extra importantly, attempting to get followers there for 2 video games over a number of days on quick discover) hasn’t gone the way in which the league initially believed that it could.

What’s new concerning the event this 12 months?

A lot of the video games are being proven on Amazon Prime, together with the knockout rounds. The schedule can also be totally on Fridays, starting on Halloween, reasonably than bouncing backwards and forwards from Tuesday to Friday all through November because it did in the course of the first two years of the event.

Why does the NBA Cup embody regular-season video games?

Earlier than its launch, one of many predominant questions surrounding the in-season event was why any staff could be incentivized to compete in it. The NBA ensured groups shall be motivated by making each sport a part of the season — and, being in-conference, probably essential from a playoff-tiebreaker standpoint. If this had been arrange just like the cup tournaments in European soccer, there would have been nothing stopping NBA groups from opting out, actually or figuratively — sitting their high gamers for additional relaxation.

What groups make up the teams?

To create the teams, the NBA put all 15 groups in every convention into 5 pots, separated by their end in final season’s standings. Pot 1 included the groups that completed 1-3 in regular-season document, groups 4-6 went into Pot 2, groups 7-9 into Pot 3, groups 10-12 into Pot 4, and groups 13-15 into Pot 5. Consequently, the next teams have been drawn:

• East A: Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards

• East B: Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers

• East C: New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Warmth, Charlotte Hornets

• West A: Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz

• West B: Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans

• West C: Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Portland Path Blazers, San Antonio Spurs

Does one group stand out probably the most from the others?

This one is straightforward: West Group C. Three of the highest 4 groups within the Western Convention — Houston, Denver and Golden State — are within the group, plus a Blazers staff that excelled down the stretch final season. Oh, and do not forget about Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, too. West Group B can also be aggressive, however Memphis is already coping with accidents, Dallas is lacking Kyrie Irving and the Pelicans are anticipated to be effectively exterior the playoff image.

What do gamers get for profitable?

In 2023, the primary 12 months the event was held, the gamers on the profitable staff obtained $500,000 every, whereas these on the runners-up acquired $200,000. The dropping gamers of the semifinals every acquired $100,000, and people ousted within the quarterfinals every acquired $50,000. Now, in every subsequent 12 months, the prizes shall be barely increased, on account of negotiated raises 12 months over 12 months to maintain tempo with will increase within the wage cap and basketball-related revenue as a part of the latest collective bargaining settlement between the NBA and the Nationwide Basketball Gamers Affiliation.

Will anybody earn particular person honors for his or her play in NBA Cup video games?

There shall be an MVP award, in addition to an all-tournament staff.

Will this have any impression on the playoffs?

Not past the video games counting within the regular-season standings (and towards tiebreakers). The one playoff impression comes from the wins and losses accrued all through the event. Although there was debate amongst league insiders about guaranteeing a playoff berth for profitable the event, finally, that concept (or another to additional incentivize groups) was not enacted.

Why is it referred to as the Emirates NBA Cup?

The league struck a sponsorship take care of Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, to sponsor the event after its preliminary run. The NBA stated final 12 months that it went with probably the most primary titles for each the event and its trophy — the “in-season event” and “NBA Cup” — as a technique to introduce the idea to followers. Nevertheless, utilizing such nondescript names had one other clear benefit: It gave the league a clean slate in case the event and cup turned properties it ended up promoting to a sponsor, and averted the problems that might come up by naming them after somebody (for instance, the late NBA commissioner David Stern, one risk that had been floated earlier than the event was formally unveiled).

2025 Emirates NBA Cup schedule:

All instances Jap

Group Play

Oct. 31

Nov. 7

• Cavaliers 148, Wizards 114

• Magic 123, Celtics 110

• Raptors 109, Hawks 97

• Pistons 125, Nets 107

• Spurs 121, Rockets 110

• Bucks 126, Bulls 110

• Warmth 126, Hornets 108

• Timberwolves 137, Jazz 97

• Grizzlies 118, Mavericks 104

• Thunder 132, Kings 101

• Nuggets 129, Warriors 104

Nov. 14

Nov. 21

Nov. 25

• Atlanta Hawks at Washington Wizards, 7 p.m.

• Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers, 8 p.m. (Peacock)

• LA Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers, 11 p.m. (Peacock)

Nov. 26

• Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics, 5 p.m. (ESPN)

• New York Knicks at Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m.

• Indiana Pacers at Toronto Raptors, 7:30 p.m.

• Minnesota Timberwolves at Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

• Milwaukee Bucks at Miami Warmth, 7:30 p.m.

• Memphis Grizzlies at New Orleans Pelicans, 8 p.m.

• Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m. (ESPN)

• San Antonio Spurs at Portland Path Blazers, 10 p.m.

• Phoenix Suns at Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m.

Nov. 28

• Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m.

• Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Hornets, 7:30 p.m.

• Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. (Prime)

• Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m.

• Philadelphia 76ers at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m.

• Washington Wizards at Indiana Pacers, 7:30 p.m.

• Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, 9:30 p.m.

• Sacramento Kings at Utah Jazz, 9:30 p.m.

• San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets, 9:30 p.m.

• Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m. (Prime)

• Memphis Grizzlies at LA Clippers, 10 p.m.

Knockout

Dec. 9 and 10: Quarterfinals

• TBD vs. TBD, (Prime)

• TBD vs. TBD, (Prime)

• TBD vs. TBD, (Prime)

• TBD vs. TBD, (Prime)

Dec. 13: Semifinals

• TBD vs. TBD, (Prime)

• TBD vs. TBD, (Prime)

Dec. 16: Championship