Cleveland Cavaliers 2026 NBA Cup Schedule Announced

With that, it brings us to the Cavs. They have not made it to the postseason in any prior years of the tourney, though the hope of course will be that 2026 is different. Now that things have been finalized, let’s take a peak at the team’s opponents.

11/6 vs. Sixers

The festivities will kick off on November 6th, when the Cavs host the Sixers at 7:00 PM ET. The biggest news here of course is that it will be Dean Wade’s return to Cleveland as a visitor for the first time after seven seasons. 

The teams will meet two weeks earlier in Philly, and this will be a contest with a whole lot of eyeballs on it. In addition to the much-anticipated Wade return, LeBron James will come to town after spurning the team in his free agency decision over the summer.

The stars will be out, as Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Donovan Mitchell, and co. look to grab the W in front of the Cleveland faithful.

11/13 @ Heat

The Miami Heat will be opponent number two on November 13th. Giannis Antetokounmpo was acquired over the summer and hopes to form a formidable All-Star duo up front with Bam Adebayo. A lot of key players were lost over the summer both in the acquisition and through free agency, so it’s a very different squad.

The first road game for the team in the NBA Cup, the Cavs will be leaning on Mitchell to help get them through, while all the All-Star bigs do battle down low. The game will tip off at 8:00 PM ET.

11/20 vs. Pacers

A 7:30 PM ET tip at home against the Pacers sets the stage for matchup number three. The last time Tyrese Haliburton played against the Cavs, he and his team put on a show and they eliminated them in five games. Cleveland was of course the top seed and fresh off a 60+ win season, so this was far from ideal.

One win away from the NBA title in 2025, Indiana is now fully healthy again and has some new weapons. Defense will be the name of the game for the home team as they hope to slow a team looking to get right back into championship contention.

East Group B is very difficult, and this will be far from a cakewalk for any of these squads.

11/25 @ NYK 

The Cavs will finish group play with a 7:30 PM ET showdown at MSG. When Cleveland met New York on Christmas Day, they watched a giant lead get whittled away, ultimately falling in the game. The same thing happened in game 1 of the ECF with the Knicks making a furious comeback.

A lot of eyes will be on these games in 2026-27, as the Cavs hope to show no fear. From the 2023 first-round drubbing to last year’s struggles, New York has owned Cleveland on the big stage. 

A battle to finish off what promises to be a tenuous NBA Cup, it will be a great chance to see what the Wine & Golders are all about.