Groups Set For 2026 NBA Cup

The NBA has officially announced the six groups of five teams apiece for the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup, also known as the in-season tournament (Twitter link).

In order to set the groups, the league splits the Western and Eastern Conferences into five three-team tiers based on last season’s regular season standings, with one club from each tier randomly drawn into each of the conference’s three groups.

For instance, the top three teams from the West will all be in separate groups, with each of those three groups also featuring one team in the 4-6 range, one in the 7-9 range, and so on.

Here are the groups for the 2026 NBA Cup:

• West Group A: Denver Nuggets (3), Houston Rockets (5), Phoenix Suns (8), Dallas Mavericks (12), Utah Jazz (15)
• West Group B: Oklahoma City Thunder (1), Minnesota Timberwolves (6), Los Angeles Clippers (9), New Orleans Pelicans (11), Memphis Grizzlies (13)
• West Group C: San Antonio Spurs (2), Los Angeles Lakers (4), Portland Trail Blazers (7), Golden State Warriors (10), Sacramento Kings (14)
• East Group A: Detroit Pistons (1), Toronto Raptors (5), Orlando Magic (8), Milwaukee Bucks (11), Brooklyn Nets (13)
• East Group B: New York Knicks (3), Cleveland Cavaliers (4), Philadelphia 76ers (7), Miami Heat (10), Indiana Pacers (14)
• East Group C: Boston Celtics (2), Atlanta Hawks (6), Charlotte Hornets (9), Chicago Bulls (12), Washington Wizards (15)

The round-robin group play games will begin on October 30 and run through November 27. Each team will face the other four clubs in its group once, with the winners of each group and one wild card team from each conference advancing to the eight-team, single-elimination knockout round.

The full schedule of group play games can be viewed right here.

The quarterfinals will be played on December 4-5, with the semifinals to follow on Dec. 8 and/or 9. The final will take place on Dec. 11.

In past seasons, the NBA Cup’s semifinals and final have been played in Las Vegas, but the league is deviating from that tradition this year. The semifinals, like the quarterfinals, will take place in the higher seed’s home market, while the final will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse — Butler’s arena — in Indianapolis, as the NBA announced earlier today.

The 2025 NBA Cup was a preview of what to expect in the NBA Finals six months later. The Knicks won the final over the Spurs, with Jalen Brunson earning MVP honors for the in-season tournament.