What Is the NBA Cup? Here’s Everything You Should Know

The Emirates NBA Cup 2024 marks the second annual in-season tournament for the NBA, offering fans a new layer of excitement in the middle of the regular season. Starting on Tuesday, November 12, the competition will kick off in team markets, culminating in the Semifinals on December 14 and the Championship on December 17, held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

This year’s tournament will feature two distinct phases: the Group Play stage and the subsequent Knockout Rounds. With teams vying for both the prize pool and league honours, the Emirates NBA Cup is set to become a highly anticipated event each season. 

Tournament Details 

The Emirates NBA Cup 2024, the NBA's second annual in-season tournament, will begin on Tuesday, November 12, in team markets and conclude with the Semifinals on Saturday, December 14, and the Championship on Tuesday, December 17, hosted at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Emirates NBA Cup will feature two phases: Group Play and Knockout Rounds. 

Group Play 

The 30 teams have been assigned to groups within their respective conferences, based on their win-loss records from the 2023-24 regular season. Starting on Tuesday, November 12, and running through Tuesday, December 3, teams will play games on "Cup Nights."  

To decide the matchups for Group Play, the 15 teams in each conference were divided into three groups of five through a random draw. ESPN revealed the six groups on Friday, July 12. 

Before the draw, teams were sorted into “pots” based on their records from the 2023-24 regular season. Within each conference, one team from each pot was randomly assigned to one of the three groups, creating balanced competition across all groups. 

“Cup Nights” will occur every Tuesday and Friday from November 12 to December 3, with only Group Play games being held on those nights.  

During Group Play, each team will face the other four teams in its group once. The team’s performance in these four intraconference games will determine its eligibility for the Knockout Rounds. 

Eight teams will move on to the Knockout Rounds: the top team from each of the six groups based on their Group Play performance, plus one wild card team from each conference. The wild card team from each conference will be the one with the best Group Play record among the second-place finishers in their respective groups. 

Knockout Rounds 

Eight teams will go to the Knockout Rounds: the top team from each of the six groups based on Group Play standings, along with two “wild cards”—one from each conference, selected for having the best Group Play record among the second-place teams. 

The Knockout Rounds will feature single-elimination games, starting with the Quarterfinals in NBA team markets on Tuesday, December 10, and Wednesday, December 11. Then, the Semifinals and Championship in Las Vegas will follow on December 14 and December 17, respectively.  

All 67 games played during the Emirates NBA Cup, excluding the Championship, will count toward the regular-season standings. Each team will still play a total of 82 games in the 2024-25 regular season, including those from both Group Play and the Knockout Rounds. 

The Knockout Rounds will feature single-elimination games for the eight teams going from Group Play, starting with the Quarterfinals on Dec. 10-11. Winning teams will progress to the neutral-site Semifinals on December 14 and then to the Championship on December 17. 

Games played during the Quarterfinals and Semifinals will be regular-season games for all purposes. However, the Championship game will not count toward the regular-season record, and individual or team performances in the Championship will not contribute to regular-season statistics. 

In each conference, the two teams with the best Group Play records will host the Quarterfinals, with the top-performing team facing the wild card team. On days when there are no Emirates NBA Cup games scheduled during the Knockout Rounds (Dec. 12-13 and Dec. 15-16), the 22 teams that did not make the Knockout Rounds will play two regular-season games each. 

The matchups for these games will be determined based on Group Play standings (5th-15th in each conference).  Two of these games will be cross-conference, involving bottom-finishing teams from each conference. These cross-conference matchups will be scheduled considering travel constraints, and no team will play more than one cross-conference game.  

The other 20 games will be within each conference, matching teams scheduled to face each other thrice throughout the season. Teams that lose in the Quarterfinals will face each other in regular-season games on Dec. 12, 13, 15, or 16. 

Prizing and League Honors 

The prize pool for the Emirates NBA Cup will be distributed among players of teams that reach the Knockout Rounds, with higher payouts tied to a team's advancement in the tournament. As the competition progresses, the odds to win NBA cup will shift, providing fans with an evolving picture of which teams are excelling. 

Following the end of the Emirates NBA Cup, a panel will choose the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the All-Tournament Team, with selections based on player performances throughout both Group Play and the Knockout Rounds. 

Final Words 

The Emirates NBA Cup 2024 promises to be an exciting and high-energy tournament, adding a new dynamic to the NBA season. With the Group Play stage and Knockout Rounds, fans will be treated to intense competition as teams battle for the NBA Cup championship and a chance to secure a spot in the history books. As teams vie for the title and valuable prizes, the Emirates NBA Cup is set to become a staple in the NBA's in-season calendar, offering fresh storylines and unforgettable moments.