Last December, the New York Knicks defeated an overwhelmed-looking young San Antonio Spurs team to win the NBA Cup.
THE KNICKS HAVE WON THE @emirates NBA CUP
THEY DEFEAT THE SPURS BEHIND A COMPLETE TEAM EFFORT IN VEGAS! pic.twitter.com/O1BdnnByXE
— NBA (@NBA) December 17, 2025
Sound familiar? It foreshadowed what would happen in June, when the Knicks won their first title in 53 years. Now the NBA Cup is back starting Friday night, Oct. 30, so which teams are going to make a run and stake their claim to follow in the Knicks ‘ footsteps? Here is everything you need to know about the 2026 edition of the NBA Cup.
What’s the format for the 2026 NBA Cup?
The format hasn’t changed since the NBA Cup launched four years ago. The one big change this season is that the NBA Cup semifinals will take place on a team’s home court (the higher East and West seed remaining), and the NBA Cup Final will be played at the Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home to the Butler Bulldogs — and the place where the real-life game the movie “Hoosiers” was based on was played.
All 30 teams have been drawn into one of six groups (five teams in each group, three East groups and three West groups). Each team plays the other teams in its group once — four games total — and those games count double as both regular season games and NBA Cup games.
The six group winners plus a wild card from each conference — determined by head-to-head record and point differential — go into an eight-team knockout round bracket (East vs. East, West vs. West, similar to the NBA playoffs where the conferences are separate until the Finals). The knockout round games are single-elimination.
The Final two teams, one East and one West, will head to Indianapolis for the Dec. 11 championship game.
Thanks to the bright, specially designed courts, fans will instantly recognize these as NBA Cup games when they tune in every Friday starting Oct. 30 and running through Nov. 27 (on Amazon Prime), with Cup games on NBC and Peacock on Nov. 24 (Celtics at Wizards, then Mavericks at Nuggets), as well as on ESPN Nov. 25.
NBA Cup games will be played on specially designed courts with the home team wearing their Statement Edition uniforms.
ALL 30 TEAM COURTS FOR @EMIRATES NBA CUP 2026 pic.twitter.com/RgBqe1VJCB
— NBA (@NBA) October 13, 2026
No one will confuse these with standard regular-season games.
What are the NBA Cup 2026 groups?
Here’s a look at the NBA Cup 2026 groups (with some analysis added at the end).
Western Conference
West Group A: Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz
West Group B: LA Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder
West Group C: Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs
Analysis: As with much of this early NBA season, injuries are robbing us of some of the joy of these matchups. Specifically in Group B, where the Timberwolves and Thunder would have been a real showdown, but with no Anthony Edwards, Jalen Williams or Cason Wallace, it’s not the same. Even with the injuries, OKC is the team to beat in Group B.
Group C has some interesting matchups with the Lakers, Spurs, and fun-to-watch Warriors, but I expect San Antonio will win out in the end. In Group A, Denver will be the favorite, led by Nikola Jokic. Cooper Flagg makes Dallas dangerous. Yet, for my money, the best team in this group is the Houston Rockets, so look for Kevin Durant and company to advance.
Eastern Conference
East Group A: Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors
East Group B: Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers
East Group C: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards.
Analysis: Group B is the “Group of Death” (to borrow a soccer term): Cleveland, New York or Philadelphia could take this, and while Miami may not advance, on a given night it can beat anyone behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. If Tyrese Haliburton were healthy, this group would be impossible to predict. As it is, give me the Cavaliers, who are playing well to start the season.
Group A would have been a lot more interesting if Kawhi Leonard were healthy (and maybe he returns in time to impact games), but this group feels like Detroit’s to lose. In Group C, Boston is the obvious favorite, but sleep on Atlanta and Washington at your own peril.
What’s the schedule for the NBA Cup 2026?
Most NBA Cup games will be played on Friday nights starting on Oct. 30, and running through Nov. 27, with games highlighted on Amazon Prime (which will also broadcast the semifinals and Cup Final). Cup games will air on NBC and Peacock on Nov. 24, and on ESPN on Nov. 25.
Here is the full schedule for the NBA Cup 2026 (All times Eastern):
Oct. 30:
Charlotte Hornets at Washington Wizards (7 p.m. ET)
Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET)
Detroit Pistons at Brooklyn Nets (7:30 p.m. ET)
New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 p.m. ET)
Orlando Magic at Toronto Raptors (7:30 p.m. ET)
Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat (8 p.m. ET)
Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks (8 p.m. ET)
Los Angeles Clippers at Minnesota Timberwolves (8 p.m. ET)
Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors (10 p.m. ET)
Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns (10 p.m. ET)
Nov. 6:
Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks (7 p.m. ET)
Boston Celtics at Charlotte Hornets (7 p.m. ET)
Philadelphia 76ers 2 Cleveland Cavaliers (7:30 p.m. ET)
Utah Jazz at Dallas Mavericks (8 p.m. ET)
Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies (8 p.m. ET)
Toronto Raptors at Milwaukee Bucks 8 p.m. ET)
Minnesota Timberwolves at New Orleans Pelicans (8 p.m. ET)
Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers (10 p.m. ET)
San Antonio Spurs at Sacramento Kings (10 p.m. ET)
Nov. 13:
New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers (7 p.m. ET)
Milwaukee Bucks at Orlando Magic (7 p.m. ET)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami Heat (8 p.m. ET)
Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Bulls (8 p.m. ET)
Memphis Grizzlies at New Orleans Pelicans (8 p.m. ET)
Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets (8:30 p.m. ET)
Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs (9:30 p.m. ET)
Portland Trail Blazers at Sacramento Kings (10 p.m. ET)
Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET)
Nov. 20:
Charlotte Hornets at Atlanta Hawks (7 p.m. ET)
Orlando Magic at Brooklyn Nets (7:30 p.m. ET)
Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers (7:30 p.m. ET)
Toronto Raptors at Detroit Pistons (7:30 p.m. ET)
Washington Wizards at Chicago Bulls (8 p.m. ET)
New Orleans Pelicans at Oklahoma City Thunder (8 p.m. ET)
Phoenix Suns at Utah Jazz (9:30 p.m. ET)
Houston Rockets at Denver Nuggets (10 p.m. ET)
Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Lakers (10 p.m. ET)
Nov. 24:
Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic (7 p.m. ET)
Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards (8 p.m. ET)
Dallas Mavericks at Denver Nuggets (10 p.m. ET)
Nov. 25:
Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers (5 p.m. ET)
Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Hornets (7 p.m. ET)
Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks (7:30 p.m. ET)
Minnesota Timberwolves at Oklahoma City Thunder (7:30 p.m. ET)
Los Angeles Clippers at Memphis Grizzlies (8 p.m. ET)
Brooklyn Nets at Milwaukee Bucks (8 p.m. ET)
Phoenix Suns at Houston Rockets (8:30 p.m. ET)
Sacramento Kings at Golden State Warriors (10 p.m. ET)
San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers (10 p.m. ET)
Nov. 27:
Miami Heat at New York Knicks (7 p.m. ET)
Milwaukee Bucks at Detroit Pistons (7:30 p.m. ET)
Philadelphia 76ers at Indiana Pacers (7:30 p.m. ET)
Brooklyn Nets at Toronto Raptors (7:30 p.m. ET)
Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics (8 p.m. ET)
Memphis Grizzlies at Minnesota Timberwolves (8:30 p.m. ET)
Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns (9 p.m. ET)
Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio Spurs (9:30 p.m. ET)
Denver Nuggets at Utah Jazz (9:30 p.m. ET)
New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Clippers (9:30 p.m. ET)
Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers (9:30 p.m. ET)
Knockout Rounds:
• Quarterfinals on Dec. 4-5 (home court of higher-seeded team)
• Semifinals on Dec. 8 and/or Dec. 9 (home court of higher-seeded team)
• Championship on Dec. 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Ind.)
The six group winners plus two wild cards (one from each conference) advance to the knockout rounds. Starting with the semifinals, the entire show moves to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
NBA Cup 2026 odds
Here are the odds for the top 10 teams to win the NBA Cup 2024, via our partners at DraftKings:
San Antonio +425
Oklahoma City +550
Boston +700
Philadelphia +1200
Houston +1300
Detroit +1300
New York +1600
Denver +1600
Toronto +2000
Portland +2200
What does the NBA Cup winner get?
The players get money — and make no mistake, that is the biggest motivation. Players talk openly about it.
There is a trophy, and teams will hang a banner. Even the Knicks. Eventually. For fan bases, winning the NBA Cup can be celebrated as a sign the team is on the right track, like the Knicks a year ago. However, for the players, it’s about the money.
Each player on the championship team will receive more than half a million dollars. Each player on the NBA Cup runner-up team gets more than $200,000. Players from the two teams that advanced to the semifinals but lost will each receive more than $100,000. Players on teams that advanced out of group play but lost in the quarterfinals will get more than $50,000 each.
While even the championship money is comparable to another game check for a star like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it can be a meaningful bump for players on minimum salaries at the end of the bench. The stars realize who they are playing for when things get serious.
Who won the 2025 NBA Cup?
The New York Knicks, behind stellar play from NBA Cup MVP Jalen Brunson. As noted, they handed Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs a Cup Final loss that would be echoed next June.
In 2024, Milwaukee bounced back from an ugly 2-8 start to the season to find its footing in NBA Cup games and went on a run behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, reaching the Cup Finals against Oklahoma City. Once there, Antetokounmpo had a 26-point triple-double, completely controlling the game on both sides of the ball. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament (before it was officially branded as the NBA Cup).
Where is the NBA Cup 2026 Final being held?
The NBA is moving the NBA Cup Final to Indianapolis’s iconic Hinkle Fieldhouse, the home of Butler University.
Hinkle Fieldhouse adds another chapter to its legacy
Now, it’s the home of the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup Championship pic.twitter.com/a3H3vv2qb7
— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) June 30, 2026
Famously, Hinkle Fieldhouse hosted the 1954 Indiana high school state championship game that inspired the 1986 movie “Hoosiers,” and climactic scenes from the film were shot there.
What is the point of the NBA Cup?
The NBA Cup is Commissioner Adam Silver’s baby.
He pushed for this and got the owners to buy in — and Silver has largely been proven right. The fact that broadcast rights for the NBA Cup were part of the league’s massive $7.6 billion new television deal was a huge win for Silver (and means the Cup isn’t going anywhere for a long time). At the end of the day, the NBA is a business and adding the Cup brought the league and its players more money.
When first promoting the Cup idea, Silver listed a few reasons he believed it would work for the NBA. First, drawing on the European soccer model, the idea was to create a second trophy of value — clearly not as important as an NBA title, but still meaningful — for teams to compete for and fan bases to cheer. It was something to combat the “championship or bust” mentality of some fans.
Additionally, Silver and the league office have been exploring ways to increase casual fan interest in regular-season games. Silver wants to end, or at least diminish, the idea that the marathon NBA regular season doesn’t start until Christmas, or that teams have to get through it to reach the “real season” of the playoffs. The NBA Cup helps with that.
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