NBA Cup 2026: Where to Watch, Groups, Schedule, How Does It Work? Everything You Need to Know

The NBA regular season is barely two weeks old, and it’s already getting its first big event. The NBA Cup, the league’s in-season tournament, tips off Friday, and this year’s edition comes with a major change: the championship is leaving Las Vegas for one of the most famous gyms in basketball.

What is the NBA Cup?

The NBA Cup, officially the Emirates NBA Cup, is the league’s annual in-season tournament. It started in the 2023-24 season as the In-Season Tournament and was renamed when Emirates became the title sponsor in 2024. This is its fourth year.

The idea is to give the early part of the season some real stakes. Commissioner Adam Silver has said the format was inspired by the in-season cup competitions in European soccer. The New York Knicks are the defending champions after beating the San Antonio Spurs in last year’s final.

How Does the NBA Cup Work?

All 30 teams participate in the NBA Cup, unlike the actual playoffs where the spots are earned through the gruelling 82-game regular season. These 30 teams are divided into six groups of five, with all teams playing four games against their group opponents.

Mind you, the standings add to the actual regular-season standings.

Ultimately, six group winners and two wild card teams qualify for the single-elimination games. The last ones standing through the quarterfinals and semifinals compete in the championship game. Again, the NBA Playoffs use the best-of-seven series, and the NBA Cup games are single-game knockouts.

Players and coaches on every team that reaches the knockout rounds earn prize money, and the payouts grow with each round. Each head coach gets the same amount as one of his players, assistant coaches split a pool worth 75% of that, and players on two-way contracts get a half share.

Last year, each player on the champion Knicks earned $530,933.

Where is the 2026 NBA Cup final?

For the first time, the final won’t be played in Las Vegas. The championship game is set for Dec. 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The league is moving the final to iconic basketball venues, and few are more historic than Hinkle.

What Are the Groups for the 2026 NBA Cup?

As per an ESPN report, “the NBA put the 15 teams in each conference into five pots, separated by their finish last season. Pot 1 included the teams that finished in the top three in the regular-season standings, Nos. 4-6 in the standings went into Pot 2, Nos. 7-9 went into Pot 3, Nos. 10-12 into Pot 4, and Nos. 13-15 into Pot 5.”

Teams are divided into Eastern (East group A, B, and C) and Western (West group A, B, and C) conferences. And the list goes like:

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

West Group A

• Denver Nuggets
• Houston Rockets
• Phoenix Suns
• Dallas Mavericks
• Utah Jazz

West Group B

• Oklahoma City Thunder
• Minnesota Timberwolves
• LA Clippers
• New Orleans Pelicans
• Memphis Grizzlies

West Group C

• San Antonio Spurs
• Los Angeles Lakers
• Portland Trail Blazers
• Golden State Warriors
• Sacramento Kings

NBA Cup 2026 Schedule

Group play runs from October 30 to November 27, with games every Friday plus extra Cup nights on November 24 and 25. All times are Eastern.

Group Plays

October 30

• Charlotte Hornets at Washington Wizards, 7 p.m.
• Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics, 7:30 p.m.
• Detroit Pistons at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m.
• New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers, 7:30 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Orlando Magic at Toronto Raptors, 7:30 p.m.
• Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat, 8 p.m.
• Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks, 8 p.m.
• LA Clippers at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 p.m.
• Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns, 10 p.m.

November 6

• Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks, 7 p.m.
• Boston Celtics at Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m.
• Philadelphia 76ers at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Utah Jazz at Dallas Mavericks, 8 p.m.
• Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies, 8 p.m.
• Toronto Raptors at Milwaukee Bucks, 8 p.m.
• Minnesota Timberwolves at New Orleans Pelicans, 8 p.m.
• Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m. (Prime Video)
• San Antonio Spurs at Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m.

November 13

• New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Milwaukee Bucks at Orlando Magic, 7 p.m.
• Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami Heat, 8 p.m.
• Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Bulls, 8 p.m.
• Memphis Grizzlies at New Orleans Pelicans, 8 p.m.
• Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets, 8:30 p.m.
• Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs, 9:30 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Portland Trail Blazers at Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m.
• Oklahoma City Thunder at LA Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

November 20

• Charlotte Hornets at Atlanta Hawks, 7 p.m.
• Orlando Magic at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m.
• Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m.
• Toronto Raptors at Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Washington Wizards at Chicago Bulls, 8 p.m.
• New Orleans Pelicans at Oklahoma City Thunder, 8 p.m.
• Phoenix Suns at Utah Jazz, 9:30 p.m.
• Houston Rockets at Denver Nuggets, 10 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m.

November 24

• Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic, 7 p.m.
• Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards, 8 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)
• Dallas Mavericks at Denver Nuggets, 10 p.m. (Peacock)

November 25

• Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
• Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m.
• Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m.
• Minnesota Timberwolves at Oklahoma City Thunder, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
• LA Clippers at Memphis Grizzlies, 8 p.m.
• Brooklyn Nets at Milwaukee Bucks, 8 p.m.
• Phoenix Suns at Houston Rockets, 8:30 p.m.
• Sacramento Kings at Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m.
• San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. (ESPN)

November 27

• Miami Heat at New York Knicks, 7 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Milwaukee Bucks at Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m.
• Philadelphia 76ers at Indiana Pacers, 7:30 p.m.
• Brooklyn Nets at Toronto Raptors, 7:30 p.m.
• Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics, 8 p.m.
• Memphis Grizzlies at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8:30 p.m.
• Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns, 9 p.m.
• Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio Spurs, 9:30 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Denver Nuggets at Utah Jazz, 9:30 p.m.
• New Orleans Pelicans at LA Clippers, 9:30 p.m.
• Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers, 9:30 p.m.

Knockout rounds

December 4-5: Quarterfinals
December 8 and/or Dec. 9: Semifinals
December 11: Championship

Where to Watch the NBA Cup 2026?

As per Live Sports on TV’s Dan Anderson, “fifteen of the 60 group games air nationally: Prime Video streams a doubleheader on each of the five Friday Cup Nights, NBC and Peacock have two games on Tuesday, Nov. 24, and ESPN has three on Wednesday, Nov. 25, the night before Thanksgiving.”

Here are the national games you might wanna tap into:

Teams excluded from the list will have their games broadcast on local/regional sports channels.

Amazon Prime Video will be the primary broadcaster streaming the Friday doubleheaders and all knockout games, which include the quarterfinal, semifinal, and the championship game.