Exciting matchups for the NBA Cup!

The NBA has revealed the composition of the six groups for the 2025 Emirates Cup, formerly known as the In-Season Tournament. The tournament will begin on October 31 with particularly competitive groups in the West.

By@Sylvain Sultat

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Photo Credit : Kyle Terada - Imagn Images

The NBA is already looking ahead to the 2025-2026 season with the official announcement of group compositions for the 2025 Emirates Cup, the third edition of the in-season tournament. After championships by the Lakers in 2023 and the Bucks in 2024, who will succeed the Milwaukee champions?

A draw that promises excitement

The draw distributed the 30 NBA teams into six groups of five, split between the two Conferences based on 2024-2025 regular season records. The group phase will run from October 31 to November 28, with four games per team (two home, two away).

The groups are set for the Emirates NBA Cup 2025.

All 30 NBA teams were randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on win-loss records from the 2024-25 regular season.

The groups are available below. pic.twitter.com/ZZVUwtp3fO

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) July 9, 2025

Groups B and C in the Western Conference look particularly exciting. Group B features a Los Angeles derby between Lakers and Clippers, along with Memphis, Dallas and New Orleans. Group C could be the toughest with Houston, Denver, Golden State, Portland and San Antonio – a true group of death where each team has a shot at qualifying.

In the East, Milwaukee will defend their title in Group C against the Knicks, Bulls, Heat and Hornets. The Celtics will play in Group B with Detroit, Orlando, Brooklyn and Philadelphia, while Cleveland leads Group A with Indiana, Atlanta, Toronto and Washington.

A proven format heading to Las Vegas

The format remains identical to previous editions. Quarter-finals will take place on December 9 and 10 in qualified teams’ arenas. Semi-finals will be held on December 13 in Las Vegas, before the final on December 16 in the Nevada city.

Only the final won’t count towards regular season statistics and records for the two finalists. Teams eliminated in the group stage will play additional games to reach the mandatory 82 games.

The Thunder, 2025 NBA champions, will need to watch out for Minnesota in their Group A, which also includes Phoenix, Sacramento and Utah. The complete schedule will be revealed in August, coinciding with the announcement of the general 2025-2026 season schedule.

Sylvain Sultat

Sylvain Sultat suit la NBA au quotidien, entre performances individuelles, dynamiques collectives et grandes histoires de la ligue. Sur BeBasket, il décrypte l’actualité américaine avec passion et régularité, toujours à l’affût des tendances qui font bouger le monde du basket.