NBA Cup 2026 Schedule: Full Fixtures, Groups, Dates, Results and How to Watch

Published October 31, 2026

The 2026 Emirates NBA Cup is under way. The fourth edition of the in-season tournament opened Friday night, and defending champion New York has already lost its first group game. LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Knicks 98-93, their second win over New York in 10 days.

Group play runs through November 27. The knockout rounds start December 4, and the championship is on December 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. This guide covers the groups, key dates, results so far and where to watch.

Context and Background: How the NBA Cup Works

The Cup is a tournament built into the regular season. Thirty teams are split by conference into six five-team groups, three in the East and three in the West.

Each team plays the other four in its group once, two at home and two on the road. Those games count toward the regular-season record.

Eight teams reach the single-elimination knockout rounds. They are the six group winners, plus one wild card from each conference, which is the best remaining record among the non-winners.

Tiebreakers, including head-to-head results and point differential, separate teams with identical records. That makes margin of victory matter even in blowouts.

Three teams have won it so far:

• 2023: Los Angeles Lakers
• 2024: Milwaukee Bucks
• 2025: New York Knicks, who beat the San Antonio Spurs 124-113 in the final, with Jalen Brunson named MVP

The Knicks then beat the Spurs again in the NBA Finals, ending a 53-year title drought.

NBA Cup 2026 Groups

Key Dates and Schedule

Group play takes up 60 games across seven dates. Games are on every Friday from October 30 to November 27, plus Tuesday, November 24 and Wednesday, November 25.

Selected Group Play Fixtures

All times Eastern. Schedules can change, so confirm on NBA.com before game day.

October 30 (played)

• Charlotte Hornets at Washington Wizards
• Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics
• Detroit Pistons at Brooklyn Nets
• New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers
• Orlando Magic at Toronto Raptors
• Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat
• Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks
• LA Clippers at Minnesota Timberwolves
• Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors
• Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns

November 6

• Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks
• Boston Celtics at Charlotte Hornets
• Philadelphia 76ers at Cleveland Cavaliers
• Utah Jazz at Dallas Mavericks
• Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies
• Toronto Raptors at Milwaukee Bucks
• Minnesota Timberwolves at New Orleans Pelicans
• Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers
• San Antonio Spurs at Sacramento Kings

Later highlights

• Nov. 20: Toronto Raptors at Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Nov. 24: Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards, 8 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)
• Nov. 25: Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers, 5 p.m., opening an ESPN tripleheader
• Nov. 27: Miami Heat at New York Knicks, 7 p.m., then San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 9:30 p.m. (Prime Video)
• Nov. 27: Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers, the Warriors’ group finale

Results So Far

Only one group result is confirmed at the time of writing.

76ers 98, Knicks 93 (East Group B). Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 25 points. James added 20 points and nine rebounds, including the putback that sealed the game. Anfernee Simons scored 21 off the bench, including a 13-point third quarter.

New York trailed by nine entering the fourth and took a 90-89 lead on a Brunson three-pointer with 1:32 left. Brunson finished with 24 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and 12 rebounds. The Knicks fell to 2-4 on the season, and Jaylen Brown missed the game with left knee patellar tendinopathy.

Lakers at Warriors (West Group C). This game tipped late on Friday night, and a confirmed result was not available when this article was written. The Lakers beat Golden State 127-105 in the season opener on October 21, and the rematch is the Warriors’ first Cup game.

Key Talking Points

• East Group B looks like the toughest group. It has the defending champion Knicks, the LeBron-led 76ers, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Heat, the Cavaliers and the Pacers. Only the winner is guaranteed a place in the quarterfinals, so one early loss matters.
• Point differential could decide the East wild card. Close losses like the Knicks’ five-point defeat cost less than blowouts if the wild card comes down to the tiebreakers.
• The Warriors have little room for error. They went 1-3 in Group Play last season and were eliminated. They are 2-3 overall this season, and the Cup games are a chance to recover ground in the standings.
• Toronto is the East Group A name to watch. The Raptors went unbeaten in Group Play last year before losing to the Knicks in the quarterfinals.
• A new final venue. The championship moves to Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, a college basketball landmark, after earlier finals in Las Vegas.

Recent Developments

Roster movement is shaping this Cup. James left the Lakers for Philadelphia, which makes this Luka Dončić’s Lakers team. Antetokounmpo is now with Miami, and Jaylen Brown is with New York, though he is currently sidelined.

The Knicks-76ers game was the second meeting between those teams in 10 days. Philadelphia won the October 20 season opener, played the night New York raised its championship banner.

For the Lakers and Warriors, the Cup fixture follows the heated October 21 game, in which Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg was given a technical foul after trash-talking Dončić.

Looking ahead, the next tests are Tuesday, November 24 and Wednesday, November 25, when ESPN and NBC carry the Thanksgiving-week slate. Projections for who advances are premature, since each team has played only one of its four group games.

Tactical Angle: What Decides Group Play

A four-game group stage rewards teams that win without their full rotation. Star availability is uneven in November, and the Knicks’ loss showed how thin depth can leave a champion exposed. With Brown out, New York relied heavily on Brunson and Towns, and it struggled from three-point range.

Philadelphia’s win was built on defense. The Knicks went more than three minutes without scoring in one stretch, and the 76ers had a strong night from the bench. A deep rotation helps in the Cup because teams cannot easily rest players in a game that counts for the tournament.

Margin also matters because of the tiebreakers. A team that trails comfortably late and tries to cut a deficit can improve its point differential, which may decide a wild-card spot.

How to Watch the NBA Cup 2026

Fifteen of the 60 group games are on national television in the US:

• Prime Video: a doubleheader on each of the five Friday Cup nights, including the Black Friday (Nov. 27) doubleheader.
• NBC/Peacock: a Tuesday, November 24 doubleheader.
• ESPN: a tripleheader on Wednesday, November 25 (Thanksgiving Eve).

The remaining games are on regional sports networks and NBA League Pass in the US. Outside the US, broadcasters and streaming options vary by region, and NBA League Pass is the league’s international streaming product. Check the NBA app or NBA.com for availability where you live. I could not confirm the broadcaster for the December 11 championship, so confirm that closer to the date.

Conclusion

The Cup is only one night old, but the stakes are already visible. The Knicks must win their remaining group games to repeat, and Philadelphia has a strong start. A group-play loss does not end a team’s run, but with only four games, every result counts.

Readers should watch for the Thanksgiving-week games and the Black Friday doubleheader, which will clarify who is in position for the December 4-5 quarterfinals. The final on December 11 in Indianapolis is the next major date after that.

Fixtures, broadcast details and results are subject to change. Check NBA.com and your local listings for the latest information.