NBA Cup 2025: how it works, schedule, dates, groups, TV and how to watch the tournament

The NBA never stops reinventing itself. For years, there’s been an open debate about introducing a new competition to the world’s best basketball league – mainly to inject some excitement into the otherwise quiet months of November and December, when the early-season buzz has faded and the playoffs still feel a long way off.

The league eventually settled on a cup-style format inspired by European tournaments, designed to liven up the midseason without adding extra games to an already grueling 82-game schedule. The solution: certain regular-season matchups would also count toward this new event. Its inaugural edition took place in 2024, featuring a group stage, quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final.

The 2023 version was known as the In-Season Tournament, won by the Los Angeles Lakers. By the following year, the competition officially adopted a new name – the NBA Cup, and won by the Bucks.

Format of the new 2025 NBA Cup

The NBA Cup borrows heavily from European competitions but cleverly avoids piling on extra workload for players. All 30 teams are divided into six groups – three per conference – each containing five teams.

The top team in each group, along with the best second-place finisher in each conference, will advance to the quarterfinals. Teams will face rivals from their own conference until the final, mirroring the playoff format. The quarterfinal winners then move on to the semifinals and final, a traditional Final Four setup hosted in Las Vegas.

Groups for the 2025 NBA Cup

Western Conference

Group A

• Minnesota Timberwolves
• Oklahoma City Thunder
• Sacramento Kings
• Phoenix Suns
• Utah Jazz

Group B

• Memphis Grizzlies
• LA Clippers
• LA Lakers
• Dallas Mavericks
• New Orleans Pelicans

Group C

• Denver Nuggets
• Houston Rockets
• San Antonio Spurs
• Golden State Warriors
• Portland Trail Blazers

Eastern Conference

Group A

• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Indiana Pacers
• Atlanta Hawks
• Toronto Raptors
• Washington Wizards

Group B

• Boston Celtics
• Orlando Magic
• Brooklyn Nets
• Detroit Pistons
• Philadelphia 76ers

Group C

• Miami Heat
• New York Knicks
• Milwaukee Bucks
• Chicago Bulls
• Charlotte Hornets

Eight teams – four from each conference – will advance to the knockout stage: the six group winners plus the two best runners-up. The quarterfinals (set for December 9–10) will be played at the home arenas of the higher-seeded teams, followed by the semifinals on December 13 and the championship game on December 16, both taking place in Las Vegas.

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