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The 2024 National Basketball Association (NBA) season is still in its early stages, but basketball fans are already gearing up for one of the most exciting events of the season: the second annual in-season tournament, now rebranded as the Emirates NBA Cup. Starting Tuesday, November 12, the tournament will run through December 17, with the championship game taking place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
2024 Emirates NBA Cup: A new chapter
The inaugural in-season tournament in 2023 brought plenty of drama and excitement, with the Los Angeles Lakers emerging as the first-ever champions. They defeated the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in the final. Both teams had strong postseason campaigns, with the Lakers advancing to the first round of the playoffs before being eliminated by the Denver Nuggets. The Pacers, on the other hand, made an impressive run to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were ultimately ousted by the Boston Celtics—the eventual NBA champions.
This year’s tournament, which now carries the Emirates Cup branding, will serve as a potential indicator of which teams could surprise the league as the season progresses. However, with injuries already taking a toll on several contenders, it’s uncertain whether the full powerhouses of the league will be able to contend for the title.
How the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup works
The format for this year’s tournament follows the structure introduced in 2023, with some tweaks. The 30 NBA teams have been split into six groups of five teams, with the conferences still divided. The groups were formed based on the previous season’s end-of-year standings, ensuring a mix of competitive matchups across the board.
Group Stage (Nov. 12 – Dec. 3): Every Tuesday and select Fridays, teams will compete in group play, with each team facing the other four teams in their group. Group play results will determine seeding for the knockout rounds, which start on December 10. Importantly, games during the group stage and knockout rounds will count towards the regular season record, except for the championship game.
Knockout Round: The top team from each group, along with one wild card from each conference, will advance to the single-elimination knockout stages, beginning on December 10.
In case of a tie during group play, the following tiebreakers will be applied:
Head-to-head record
Point differential
Total points scored
Regular season record
Random drawing
2024 Emirates NBA Cup Groups
Western Conference
Group A: Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings
Group B: Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs
Group C: Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies
Eastern Conference
Group A: New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets
Group B: Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons
Group C: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards
2024 Emirates NBA Cup Schedule
Group Play:
Tuesday, Nov. 12
Friday, Nov. 15
Tuesday, Nov. 19
Friday, Nov. 22
Tuesday, Nov. 26
Friday, Nov. 29
Tuesday, Dec. 3
Knockout Stages:
Quarterfinals: Tuesday, Dec. 10 & Wednesday, Dec. 11
Semifinals: Saturday, Dec. 14
Finals: Tuesday, Dec. 17, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV
What do the winners receive?
In addition to the prestige of winning the tournament, the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup champions will also receive financial rewards. Last year, the championship team earned $500,000 per player, with the runner-up receiving $200,000 per player. Players from the third and fourth-place teams received $100,000 each, while those eliminated in the quarterfinals earned $50,000.
