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The NBA is gearing up for its second annual Emirates NBA Cup, a regular season tournament that will kick off on Tuesday, Nov. 12, with eight exciting matchups. All 30 teams will compete for the championship, with the event culminating in Las Vegas in December. The Los Angeles Lakers, winners of last year's inaugural tournament, will look to defend their title.
NBA Cup Format
The 30 NBA teams have been split into six groups, with five teams per group. These groups are divided between the Eastern and Western Conferences, with three groups from each conference. Teams will play a round-robin format within their groups, facing every other team once. After the group stage, the six group winners along with one wild card team from each conference will advance to the knockout stage, which is single elimination. The quarterfinals will take place at home arenas, while the semifinals and finals will be hosted in Las Vegas.
Advancing in the Tournament
While it would be ideal to have six undefeated group winners, ties are likely, and the NBA has established specific tiebreakers to resolve them:
Head to head record between tied teams.
Point differential from group play.
Total points scored in group play.
Record from the 202324 season.
If all else fails, a random drawing will be used.
It’s also important to note that teams will stay within their respective conferences until the finals.
Group Draw
The groups were determined by a combination of random selection and last season's standings. Teams were sorted into five pots based on their previous year's performance. Below are the six groups:
West Group A:
Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers.
West Group B:
Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs.
West Group C:
Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies.
East Group A:
New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards.
East Group B:
Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets.
East Group C:
Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons.
Game Schedule
Group play games will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays from now until Dec. 6. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Dec. 1011 at home venues, followed by the semifinals on Dec. 14 and the finals on Dec. 17 in Las Vegas.
For the 22 teams that do not make the knockout round, they will play two regular season games during the period between Dec. 12- 16. The four losing teams from the quarterfinals will play an additional regular season game during the same time.
NBA Cup 2024 Schedule: Nov. 12
Celtics vs. Hawks – 7 p.m. ET
Pistons vs. Heat – 7 p.m. ET
Magic vs. Hornets – 7 p.m. ET
76ers vs. Knicks – 7:30 p.m. ET
Bucks vs. Raptors – 8 p.m. ET
Jazz vs. Suns – 9 p.m. ET
Warriors vs. Mavericks – 10 p.m. ET
Trail Blazers vs. Timberwolves – 10 p.m. ET
What’s New This Year?
Aside from the change in name—Emirates NBA Cup replacing "InSeason Tournament"—there are other notable differences. The courts have been redesigned to make them stand out, though they will no longer feature the runway across the middle. Instead, the courts will have concentric circles in different shades, with the trophy still prominently displayed at center court.
The Prize
The winning team will receive a $500,000 bonus for each player. Teams reaching the finals will be awarded $200,000, with $100,000 for semifinalists and $50,000 for quarterfinalists. Additionally, after the championship game, a media vote will determine the MVP of the tournament and an AllTournament Team.
Favorites to Win
Here are the odds for each team to win the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup according to FanDuel:
Boston Celtics: +400
New York Knicks: +950
Minnesota Timberwolves: +1000
Cleveland Cavaliers: +1000
Denver Nuggets: +1100
Oklahoma City Thunder: +1200
Los Angeles Lakers: +1600
Dallas Mavericks: +1600
Golden State Warriors: +1600
Milwaukee Bucks: +1900
Philadelphia 76ers: +1900
Sacramento Kings: +2500
Miami Heat: +2900
Indiana Pacers: +3100
Los Angeles Clippers: +3200
Phoenix Suns: +3300
Houston Rockets: +3500
Orlando Magic: +4900
Memphis Grizzlies: +5500
Chicago Bulls: +11000
San Antonio Spurs: +13000
Charlotte Hornets: +13000
Detroit Pistons: +17000
Atlanta Hawks: +17000
Toronto Raptors: +19000
New Orleans Pelicans: +24000
Washington Wizards: +25000
Utah Jazz: +25000
Portland Trail Blazers: +25000
Brooklyn Nets: +25000
