NBA Cup 2026: Groups, Schedule, Tiebreakers and How to Watch

The 2026 Emirates NBA Cup tips off on Friday, October 30, 2026, with a Prime Video doubleheader: the New York Knicks at the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT), then the Los Angeles Lakers at the Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT). Group Play runs until November 27, the knockout rounds follow from December 4 to 9, and the winner-take-all final is on Friday, December 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Knicks are the defending champions.

This guide is built from the NBA's official key dates and other league releases, and it is current as of October 27, 2026.

NBA Cup 2026 key dates and times

This is the fourth edition of the league's in-season tournament, and it keeps its two-phase shape: four Group Play games for every team, then an eight-team single-elimination bracket. The Group Play schedule released on August 12 lists 60 group games spread across seven "Cup Nights".

• Group Play: Fridays, October 30 and November 6, 13, 20 and 27, plus Tuesday, November 24 and Wednesday, November 25
• Quarterfinals: Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5, in team markets
• Semifinals: Tuesday, December 8 and/or Wednesday, December 9, at the higher seed's arena
• Championship: Friday, December 11, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis

Opening night falls just before US clocks go back on November 1, so the gap to other time zones changes after the first week (our daylight saving time guide explains the switch). For fans outside North America, the opening doubleheader converts like this:

• Knicks at 76ers: 7:30 p.m. ET Oct 30 = 23:30 GMT/UTC Oct 30 = 5:00 a.m. IST Oct 31
• Lakers at Warriors: 10 p.m. ET Oct 30 = 02:00 GMT/UTC Oct 31 = 7:30 a.m. IST Oct 31

From November 6, a 7:30 p.m. ET tip-off is 00:30 GMT and 6:00 a.m. IST the next morning. The NBA has not yet published tip-off times for the knockout games or the final. For reference, last year's final started at 8:30 p.m. ET, according to CBS Sports.

The six NBA Cup 2026 groups

The groups were revealed on June 30. Within each conference, teams were sorted into five pots by their 2025-26 records, and each group drew one team from each pot, according to the NBA's rules explainer. The official group list is:

Eastern Conference

• East Group A: Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets
• East Group B: New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers
• East Group C: Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards

Western Conference

• West Group A: Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz
• West Group B: Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies
• West Group C: San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings

FOX Sports lists the same six groups. East Group B and West Group C get the most attention: each has five of the 15 nationally televised group games, and between them they hold the 2025 finalists, the Knicks and the Spurs. Thunder fans following roster news can check our Jalen Williams injury update.

How teams reach the knockout rounds

Each team plays four Group Play games, one against each group opponent, with two at home and two away. Eight teams go through: the six group winners plus one wild card from each conference. The wild card is the second-placed team with the best Group Play record in that conference.

The NBA reserves Cup Nights for the tournament, so the only NBA games played on those nights are Group Play games. Every one of them also counts in the regular-season standings.

NBA Cup tiebreakers

If teams finish level in a group, the NBA breaks the tie in this order:

1. Head-to-head record in Group Play
2. Point differential in Group Play
3. Total points scored in Group Play
4. Record from the 2025-26 regular season
5. Random drawing

Overtime does not count. Overtime points are left out of the point-differential and points-scored steps, and a Group Play game that goes to overtime counts as a differential of zero. Wild-card ties use the same steps except head-to-head, and ties inside groups are settled first.

Knockout rounds and the Hinkle Fieldhouse final

The quarterfinals on December 4 and 5 are hosted by the two teams in each conference with the best Group Play records, and the best of all hosts the wild card. The big change this year is the semifinals. Instead of a neutral site, they are played at the home arena of the higher-seeded team in each conference on December 8 and/or 9. ESPN's explainer lists this as one of the main changes for the tournament's fourth edition.

The final leaves Las Vegas for the first time. The NBA announced on June 30 that Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse will host it. The arena seats 9,100, is nearly 100 years old and staged the 1954 Indiana high school final that inspired the film Hoosiers. ESPN reported that the league had been looking for "storied college arenas" for the title game. Kelly Flatow, the NBA's head of global events, said the venue "offers a special setting to capture the excitement and drama" of the championship.

All Cup games count in the regular-season standings except the final, whose stats are also excluded. Eliminated teams still reach 82 games. The 22 teams that miss the knockouts each play two extra games in the December 6–7 and 9–10 windows, and the quarterfinal losers play each other on December 7, 9 or 10.

For tickets, the NBA said in June that the public sale for the final would open this fall, with fans able to register interest at NBAEvents.com and premium packages sold through NBA Experiences, as Butler Athletics also reported. Check those official channels for the current status before buying anywhere else.

NBA Cup prize money

The NBA has not announced 2026 prize amounts. Under the 2023 collective bargaining agreement, the payouts rise each year in line with growth in basketball-related income, Front Office Sports reported, so 2026 shares are expected to be slightly higher than last year's. Here is what each player on a standard contract earned in 2025:

• Champion: $530,933
• Runner-up: $212,373
• Semifinal loss: $106,187
• Quarterfinal loss: $53,093

Players on two-way contracts receive a share based on how many knockout games they spend on the roster. A two-way player on the title team for all four games gets half the full share, which CBS Sports put at about $265,466 in 2025. The inaugural 2023 champions received $500,000 each.

Defending champion and past winners

The Knicks beat the Spurs 124-113 in the 2025 final at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on December 16, 2025. They trailed for most of the night before a late third-quarter run, the Associated Press reported, and Jalen Brunson was named tournament MVP. NBA.com says the Knicks then became the first team to win the Cup and the NBA championship in the same season.

• 2023: Lakers beat Pacers 123-109 (MVP LeBron James)
• 2024: Bucks beat Thunder 97-81 (MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo)
• 2025: Knicks beat Spurs 124-113 (MVP Jalen Brunson)

How to watch the NBA Cup 2026

In the US, 15 of the 60 Group Play games are on national TV, according to the NBA's schedule release. All times are Eastern:

• Prime Video (Fridays): Oct 30 Knicks at 76ers 7:30 p.m., Lakers at Warriors 10 p.m.; Nov 6 76ers at Cavaliers 7:30 p.m., Trail Blazers at Lakers 10 p.m.; Nov 13 Knicks at Pacers 7 p.m., Warriors at Spurs 9:30 p.m.; Nov 20 Raptors at Pistons 7:30 p.m., Rockets at Nuggets 10 p.m.; Nov 27 Heat at Knicks 7 p.m., Lakers at Spurs 9:30 p.m.
• NBC and Peacock (Tuesday, Nov 24): Celtics at Wizards 8 p.m., Mavericks at Nuggets 10 p.m.
• ESPN (Wednesday, Nov 25): Heat at 76ers 5 p.m., Timberwolves at Thunder 7:30 p.m., Spurs at Trail Blazers 10 p.m.
• NBA League Pass: the other Group Play games, where they are not on national TV or local broadcasts

Every knockout game, including the final, streams exclusively on Prime Video in the US, NBA.com's viewing guide says. The ESPN tripleheader lands the night before Thanksgiving, so if you are planning a sports-heavy holiday, our guide to the Thanksgiving 2026 NFL games covers the next day.

Outside the US, rights vary by country. SVG Europe reported that Prime Video in the UK carries the Group Play doubleheaders and the knockout rounds. In India, LatestLY reports that Prime Video has all seven knockout games, with NBA League Pass available for other games. Elsewhere, check NBA League Pass and your local broadcaster.

What to watch for

• November 24 to 27: the last three Cup Nights decide most groups, and point differential may separate teams with the same record.
• The wild-card race: a 3-1 runner-up can still advance, so second place in a strong group matters.
• Knockout tip-off times: the NBA should publish quarterfinal matchups and times once Group Play ends on November 27.
• Prize money: watch for official 2026 figures, which should edge above the 2025 amounts.

Our take

Moving the semifinals to home arenas and the final to a 9,100-seat college gym changes the feel of the event. It gives home crowds a bigger part in the knockout rounds and makes the final a smaller, rarer ticket. The tiebreaker rules also reward teams that keep scoring in games already decided, which is worth remembering when a late-November blowout looks meaningless.

Frequently asked questions

When does the NBA Cup 2026 start?

Group Play starts on Friday, October 30, 2026, with the Knicks at the 76ers at 7:30 p.m. ET and the Lakers at the Warriors at 10 p.m. ET on Prime Video. Cup Nights continue every Friday through November 27, plus November 24 and 25. The knockout rounds run from December 4 to the final on December 11.

Where is the 2026 NBA Cup final?

The championship is at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Butler University's arena in Indianapolis, on Friday, December 11, 2026. It is the first NBA Cup final held outside Las Vegas. The quarterfinals and semifinals are played in the home arenas of the higher seeds.

How do NBA Cup tiebreakers work?

Group ties are broken by head-to-head result, then Group Play point differential, then total points scored, then 2025-26 regular-season record, and finally a random drawing. Overtime points do not count, and an overtime game counts as a point differential of zero. Wild-card ties use the same steps without head-to-head.

How much prize money do NBA Cup winners get?

The NBA has not announced the 2026 figures as of October 27, 2026. In 2025, each player on the champion team received $530,933, runners-up $212,373, semifinal losers $106,187 and quarterfinal losers $53,093. The amounts rise each year under the collective bargaining agreement.

Do NBA Cup games count in the standings?

Yes, except the final. All Group Play, quarterfinal and semifinal games count toward the 82-game regular season. The championship game does not count in the standings, and its statistics are excluded.

Sources

1. Emirates NBA Cup: Key dates & schedule, NBA.com
2. Group Play schedule for Emirates NBA Cup 2026 revealed, NBA.com
3. Emirates NBA Cup 2026 groups announced, NBA.com
4. Emirates NBA Cup 101: Rules, format and how it works, NBA.com
5. How to watch NBA games in 2026-27: Everything you need to know, NBA.com
6. Hinkle Fieldhouse to host Emirates NBA Cup 2026 Championship, NBA Communications
7. Hinkle Fieldhouse to Host Emirates NBA Cup 2026 Championship, Butler University Athletics
8. Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse to host this year's NBA Cup final, ESPN
9. 2026 NBA Cup: Schedule, format, groups, updates and more, ESPN
10. NBA Cup Returns for Year 3 With Increased $530,000 Prize, Front Office Sports
11. NBA Cup championship prize money: Knicks, Spurs to battle for $530K per player, CBS Sports
12. Knicks win NBA Cup after rallying to beat Spurs; Jalen Brunson named tournament MVP, NBC News (Associated Press)
13. 2026 NBA Cup Schedule: Group Play, Knockout Rounds, Championship, FOX Sports
14. Prime Video unveils 2026/27 NBA schedule, including Paris and Manchester games, SVG Europe
15. Where to Watch NBA 2026-27 Live Streaming Online and TV Channel Telecast in India, LatestLY

How we wrote this

GessyMorgan explainers are built from public reporting and official sources. This post draws on the 15 sources listed above, each linked where we use it. It was drafted with AI assistance and checked against those sources before publishing. We did not test products, attend events or interview anyone for this article. Facts are current as of October 27, 2026, and we update the post when they change.