2026 NBA Cup: full schedule, groups and key dates revealed
Dec 16, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet (7) and New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) prepare for the opening tip off during the Emirates NBA Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The NBA dropped its full 2026-2027 regular-season schedule on Thursday, August 13 at 3 p.m. ET, and tucked inside that release was the complete group-play slate for the 2026 NBA Cup. The in-season tournament’s group stage runs from October 30 through November 27, featuring 60 games spread across Friday nights, with two extra “Cup Night” dates added on November 24 and 25. Each of the league’s 30 teams will play four group-play games during that stretch.
The six groups and knockout format
The 30 teams are split into six groups of five, three per conference, starting in the East.
East Group A
East Group B
- New York Knicks
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Miami Heat
- Indiana Pacers
East Group C
Out West, the groupings look like this:
West Group A
West Group B
West Group C
Once group play wraps, eight teams advance to single-elimination knockout rounds — the three group winners from each conference plus the top wild-card runner-up from each side. Quarterfinals are set for December 4-5, with the semifinals following on December 8 and/or 9 in Las Vegas. Every NBA Cup game counts toward regular-season standings except the championship game itself.
Championship moves to Indianapolis, and the rest of the 2026-2027 calendar
For the first time, the NBA Cup final will not be played in Las Vegas. The winner-take-all championship game is scheduled for Friday, December 11, at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the Butler University campus in Indianapolis, and will stream exclusively on Prime Video.
Schedule release day extended well beyond the Cup. Rosters must be set for Opening Day by Monday, October 19 at 5 p.m. ET, one day before the 2026-2027 regular season officially tips off on Tuesday, October 20. That day’s slate has three games, capped by a marquee showdown between the defending champion New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden, tipping off at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. The league also confirmed its Christmas Day slate for Friday, December 25 — the 19th straight year of dedicated holiday programming on ABC and ESPN — with five games: Spurs at Knicks (12 p.m. ET), Heat at Celtics (2:30 p.m. ET), 76ers at Lakers (5 p.m. ET), Thunder at Timberwolves (8 p.m. ET) and Nuggets at Warriors (10:30 p.m. ET). Further down the calendar, the trade deadline for the 2026-2027 season lands on Thursday, February 11 at 3 p.m. ET.
Alongside the NBA Cup group-play schedule, the release also set out marquee dates like Opening Day and Christmas Day, with the full team-by-team regular-season schedule, covering every game on the calendar, published the same day, Thursday, August 13, at 3 p.m. ET.
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