2025 NBA Cup Bracket, Groups, Format, Prize

Emirates NBA Cup (formerly NBA In-season tournament) returns for a third year and is ongoing. See full details for the tournament, including groups, format and more.

NBA Cup 2025 Group and Groups

East group A

1. Atlanta Hawks (1-0) +20
2. Toronto Raptors (1-0) +11
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (0-1) -11
4. Indiana Pacers (0-1) -20
5. Washington Wizards (0-0) 0

Eastern group B

1. Boston Celtics (1-0) +1
2. Philadelphia 76ers (0-1) -1
3. Detroit Pistons (0-0) 0
4. Orlando Magic (0-0) 0
5. Brooklyn Nets (0-0) 0

Eastern group C

1. Chicago Bulls (1-0) +10
2. New York Knicks (0-1) -10
3. Milwaukee Bucks (0-0) 0
4. Miami Heat (0-0) 0
5. Charlotte Hornets (0-0) 0

Western group A

1. Phoenix Suns (1-0) +22
2. Utah Jazz (0-1) -22
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (0-0) 0
4. Minnesota Timberwolves (0-0) 0
5. Sacramento Kings (0-0) 0

Western group B

1. Los Angeles Lakers (1-0) +5
2. LA Clippers (1-0) +2
3. New Orleans Pelicans (0-1) -2
4. Memphis Grizzlies (0-1) -5
5. Dallas Mavericks (0-0) 0

Western group C

1. Portland Trail Blazers (1-0) +2
2. Denver Nuggets (0-1) -2
3. Houston Rockets (0-0) 0
4. Golden State Warriors (0-0) 0
5. San Antonio Spurs (0-0) 0

* Eliminated from discussion
** Final group
*** Wildcard received

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What is the Emirates NBA Cup?

The Emirates NBA Cup is a tournament that will take place during the regular season and will feature all 30 NBA teams competing for the championship title. The goal is to provide additional excitement and engagement for fans, especially during the early part of the regular season that has suffered in recent years, as well as create new revenue streams for the league. Last year, the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the second year of the tournament.

What is the Emirates NBA Cup format?

The tournament will be divided into six groups of five teams each, and the groups will consist of teams within the same conference, but not necessarily the same division. The teams will play four group games, with each team in their pool once, and the winners will advance to the single-elimination stage.

Eight teams advance to the knockout round: six group winners and two wild card teams. Knockout rounds consist of single elimination games.

Each team will have 80 games in their initial regular season schedule, while those who do not qualify for the tournament’s elimination games will have two more games added. The two teams competing for the championship will play a total of 83 regular season games. In addition, game statistics will count toward the regular season total, except for the championship game.

Do tournament games in a season count toward the record?

All NBA Cup (formerly NBA Season Tournament) games count toward a team’s regular season record except for the NBA Cup Finals, including the quarterfinals and semifinals.

When is the Emirates NBA Cup?

The tournament started on November 7, and the championship game is on December 16. The Final Four will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 13.

How are groups determined?

Before the start of the group stage, on Wednesday, July 9, the group stage draw was held. Each team is placed in a “pot” based on its record from the previous regular season (2024-25). In each conference, one team from each pot is randomly selected into each of the three groups in that conference.

Pot 1 features the teams with the three best records from the previous season in the conference. Pot 2 has teams from 4th-6th. best results at the conference. This system of three groups continues until all 5 pots are filled.

Emirates NBA Cup tiebreaker rules

1. Head-to-head record in the group stage
2. Point differential in the group stage
3. Total points in the group stage
4. Previous regular season record

Emirates NBA Cup Award

Prize money will be awarded to players on teams that advance to the knockout rounds, with prizes increasing the further the team progresses.

There will also be an award for the most valuable player, chosen by the media and the team throughout the tournament. The selection will be based on the performance of the players in the group stage and in the knockout rounds.