As NBA Cup group play continues, some fans might be wondering just what the heck the NBA Cup is and how it works. If so, they shouldn’t feel ashamed, as there are even NBA stars, such as Anthony Edwards, who don’t fully understand how it works either.
But fear not! We'll break down how the tournament works, including its format, rules and how it handles tiebreakers.
What is the NBA Cup format?
All 30 NBA teams are randomly drawn into groups of six with other teams in their conference based on win/loss records from the previous season. The NBA Cup consists of two primary stages, group play and the knockout round.
How exactly are teams sorted into groups?
The 15 teams in each conference (Eastern and Western) were divided into three groups of five teams using a random drawing. Before the drawing began, each team was placed into a “pot” based on its record from the prior regular season. For each conference, one team from each pot was randomly selected into each of the three groups. Here is the exact criteria the NBA used during the random drawing.
Pot 1: The teams with the three-best prior season records in a conference.
Pot 2: The teams with the fourth- through sixth-best prior-season records.
Pot 3: The teams with the seventh- through ninth-best prior-season records.
Pot 4: The teams with the 10th-through 12th-best prior-season records.
Pot 5: The teams with the 13th-through 15th-best prior-season records.
For the 2025 iteration of the NBA Cup, the drawing resulted in the following groups.
West Group A: Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Utah JazzWest Group B: Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans PelicansWest Group C: Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs East Group A: Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards East Group B: Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers East Group C: Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks How does group play work?
Playing primarily on Fridays, each team plays one game against the other four teams in its group—two contests at home and two on the road. The winner of each group—the team with the best win/loss record out of each group—as well as the team with the best record among the teams that didn't win a group, will advance to the knockout stage.
How do tiebreakers in group play work?
If two or more teams are tied in a group, the tie will be broken using the following criteria in sequential order.
Head-to-head record in group playPoint differential in group playTotal points scored in group playRecord from the prior regular seasonRandom drawing How does the knockout stage work?
Eight teams advance to the knockout stage (the six group winners and two non-group winners with the best records). The knockout stage features single elimination games in the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship.
NBA Cup Schedule
Date
Round
Oct. 31
Group Play games
Nov. 7
Group Play games
Nov. 14
Group Play games
Nov. 21
Group Play games
Nov. 25
Group Play games
Nov. 26
Group Play games
Nov. 28
Group Play games
Dec. 9
Quarterfinals
Dec. 10
Quarterfinals
Dec. 13
Semifinals
Dec. 16
Championship
Do the players get anything for winning the NBA Cup?
Yes, the players have a chance to win prize money in the NBA Cup. In 2023, the first installment of the NBA Cup, each player who reached the quarterfinals of the knockout stage and lost, pocketed $50,000. Players who advanced to the semifinals and lost took home $100,000, the runner-ups in the championship round netted $200,000 each and lastly, each winning player in the championship round received $500,000. However, these prize numbers stand to increase alongside the salary cap each year, as per the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement. There is also an MVP award and an all-tournament team, in terms of player accolades.
Why should fans care about the NBA Cup?
The soccer-style in-season tournament holds no bearing on the NBA playoffs, aside from the potential playoff seeding tiebreakers that could emerge down the road from teams in each conference playing each other in the Cup. But, seeing as the NBA chose to include all NBA Cup games—save for the championship round—as part of the 82-game regular season schedule, it means that fans will be watching potentially meaningful basketball games that are geared to financially reward the players for winning, giving these contests a potentially heightened level of competition, particularly as the tourney nears the end.
