The third edition of the NBA Cup will get underway on 31 October. The Los Angeles Lakers were the champions of the inaugural edition. Last year, the Milwaukee Bucks pipped the all-conquering Oklahoma City Thunder to lift the gold.
A prize money of just over $500,000 for every player on the winning team is up for grabs. All 30 participating teams will be divided into six groups of five teams each, three groups for each conference. All teams will play four games in the group stage, followed by the knockouts. The teams finishing top of their respective six groups will advance to the next round. They will be joined by the two best second-placed teams from each conference.
After the completion of the Group Play, the knockout stages will take place on Dec. 9 and 10, with two games on each day. The semifinals will take place three days later on Dec. 13, with the finals scheduled for Dec. 16. Each franchise has a new design created by Victor Solomon, fresh for the 2025 tournament. Starting from 2026, the semi-finals will be played at the home arena of the higher-seeded opponent in each conference. Under the existing rules, the semifinals and the final are played in Las Vegas.
Let’s take a look at the groups of the NBA Cup 2025 and what we can expect from this year’s edition of the tournament.
East Group A – Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be hoping to avenge last season’s back-to-back losses against the Atlanta Hawks. The Indiana Pacers stunned the Cavs in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Atlanta will hope to go further than the quarterfinals this year, whereas Pascal Siakam will face off against the Toronto Raptors. For the second year in a row, the reigning Eastern Conference Finals MVP will lock horns against the side he played for eight seasons.
East Group B – Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers
After 470 regular-season games and 114 playoff meetings, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers will face off in their maiden Cup outing. The Detroit Pistons will be riding on Cade Cunningham, while the Orlando Magic will be riding on Paolo Banchero’s heroics to go deep into the Cup. The Boston Celtics will be without their marquee man, Jayson Tatum, whereas the Sixers will want to take inspiration from their seven-year playoff streak, which ended last year.
East Group C – New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets
The Milwaukee Bucks were 2-8 after the first ten games last year, they lifted the NBA Cup and then they went 9-1 in the following ten. They will be hoping for a repeat of last year’s heroics, as they face the New York Knicks, who were also unbeaten in the group stage last term. NBA’s longest serving coach, Erik Spoelstra, will hope to guide the Miami Heat into the knockouts for the very first time. The Chicago Bulls will meet the Heat for the very first time in the Cup, hoping to continue their winning streak from the past three NBA Play-In meetings.
West Group A – Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz
Last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder only lost to the Bucks in the final of the NBA Cup. Familiar foes in the Minnesota Timberwolves await the OKC. The two teams met in the West finals last year, wherein the Thunder prevailed in five games. Apart from the iconic rematch, the Phoenix Suns will hope to go deep, riding on Devin Booker and Jalen Green’s talent. West Group A features three players from last season’s top 10 scorers, Gilgeous-Alexander, Edwards and Booker.
West Group B – Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans
Stacked with incredible talent, West Group B will see Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis come face-to-face with their former teams. The LA Lakers will hope to win more gold while the Mavs will hope the Cup can help them build steam for the season ahead after a slow start. Zion Williamson and Ja Morant are also going to lock horns against one another. Then there’s James Harden and Kawhi Leonard in the mix as well.
West Group C – Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs
Talk about the group of death in the NBA Cup, featuring four teams capable of reaching the knockouts. The Houston Rockets finished second in the West last year, and they have added more firepower in Kevin Durant. The Denver Nuggets have Nikola Jokić, and they are always challengers for the gold. Then there is the Golden State, featuring Steph Curry and Draymond Green. Then there’s a certain Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, who are already second in the West with a perfect 5-0 record.