Formerly known as the In-Season Tournament, the NBA Cup is back for a second installment this season. Last year, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers in the championship game to win the inaugural tournament.
What Is The NBA Cup?
The NBA Cup is a midseason tournament comprised of all 30 NBA teams.
There are two stages to the NBA Cup: Group Play and Elimination Rounds. Over the summer, the three groups in each conference — East and West — are randomly drawn. Group Play begins Nov. 12 and runs through Dec. 3. During that span, every Tuesday and Friday are designated NBA Cup Nights. Group Play cup games are not played on any other days.
The #EmiratesNBACup 2024 Group Draw results!
Starting November 12, all 30 teams will compete for the NBA Cup with 8 teams advancing out of groups into the knockout rounds, with the semifinals and championship held in Las Vegas, December 14 and 17! pic.twitter.com/K9BT9b1wT2
— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2024
How Does The NBA Cup Work?
The winner of each group advances to the knockout round, as well as two wildcard teams, which are determined by one’s finish in their group. Point differential is the tiebreaker if multiple second-place group finishers hold the same record; within each group, head-to-head play is the first tiebreaker (followed by point differential) if teams finish with identical records.
The quarterfinal knockout games are played in NBA arenas on Dec. 10 and 11, while the semifinal (Dec. 14) and finals (Dec. 17) are held in Las Vegas. Aside from the championship, every NBA Cup game counts toward a team’s regular-season record.
The only alterations this season are changing the name from NBA In-Season Tournament to NBA Cup, which is now sponsored by Emirates.
NBA Cup Prize Money Breakdown
Every full-time player on the NBA Cup champion receives a $500,000 prize. Two-way players receive $250,000. Every player on the runner-up receives $200,000. Semifinalists receive $100,000. Quarterfinalists receive $50,000. That stacks as a team progresses through the elimination rounds. Each Lakers player received $650,000 last season. ($50,000 –> $100,000 –> $200,000 –> $500,000).
Best NBA Cup Games To Watch
Tuesday’s games are headlined by the Philadelphia 76ers facing off against the New York Knicks, where former MVP Joel Embiid will make his season debut. Later in the night, Klay Thompson returns to the Bay Area, when the Golden State Warriors host the Dallas Mavericks. The full Nov. 12 slate is here:
The Group Play slate for opening night of the #EmiratesNBACup!
🏆 Klay Thompson returns to The Bay as Mavericks visit Warriors
🏆 Joel Embiid makes season debut, 76ers host Knicks
🏆 9-2 Celtics and 8-2 Suns both in actionWatch the first Cup Night on TNT and NBA League Pass. pic.twitter.com/PaN5wdzZpD
— NBA (@NBA) November 12, 2024
Here are some of the best NBA Cup games to watch as we look ahead on the schedule (all times listed in EST):
- Nov. 15, Phoenix Suns vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 15, Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m.
- Nov. 19, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics, 7 p.m.
- Nov. 22, Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 7:30 p.m.
- Nov. 22, Dallas Mavericks vs. Denver Nuggets, 10 p.m.
