2026 NBA Cup Schedule: Groups, Key Dates, Knockout Format and Championship Details

The road to the 2026 NBA Cup is officially taking shape.

Ahead of the complete 2026-27 NBA regular-season schedule release, the league has revealed the group-stage matchups, tournament dates and revised knockout format for this year's competition.

Group play begins on October 30, while the tournament will conclude with the NBA Cup Championship on December 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

There are also some major changes this season. Most notably, Las Vegas will no longer host the semifinals or championship, while knockout games will receive expanded coverage through Prime Video.

Here's everything fans need to know about the 2026 NBA Cup.

2026 NBA Cup Key Dates

The group stage will primarily be played on Fridays, beginning October 30 and continuing through November 27.

Two additional NBA Cup Nights have been scheduled for November 24 and November 25.

Once the group phase is complete, eight teams will remain in contention for the trophy.

The entire knockout phase will then be completed in just over a week.

2026 NBA Cup Groups

All 30 NBA franchises have been separated into six groups containing five teams each.

There are three groups from the Eastern Conference and another three from the Western Conference, with the composition determined using results from the 2025-26 season.

Eastern Conference Group A

• Brooklyn Nets

• Detroit Pistons

• Milwaukee Bucks

• Orlando Magic

• Toronto Raptors

This group could be one of the more unpredictable sections in the East, with Milwaukee and several improving teams fighting for the automatic qualification spot.

Eastern Conference Group B

• Cleveland Cavaliers

• Indiana Pacers

• Miami Heat

• New York Knicks

• Philadelphia 76ers

East Group B immediately stands out.

Defending NBA Cup champions New York will have to navigate a group featuring Cleveland, Indiana, Miami and Philadelphia. With only the group winner guaranteed qualification, every game could carry major importance.

Eastern Conference Group C

• Atlanta Hawks

• Boston Celtics

• Charlotte Hornets

• Chicago Bulls

• Washington Wizards

Boston will headline Group C, but the short four-game format leaves little margin for error.

Unlike an 82-game regular season, one poor performance can dramatically affect a team's chances of reaching the knockout rounds.

Western Conference Groups

The West features several intriguing matchups of its own.

Western Conference Group A

• Dallas Mavericks

• Denver Nuggets

• Houston Rockets

• Phoenix Suns

• Utah Jazz

Denver and Houston will be among the teams attracting attention, but Dallas and Phoenix could make this a difficult group to predict.

Western Conference Group B

• Los Angeles Clippers

• Memphis Grizzlies

• Minnesota Timberwolves

• New Orleans Pelicans

• Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City enters another season with championship-level expectations, but Minnesota and Memphis could provide serious competition during group play.

Western Conference Group C

• Golden State Warriors

• Los Angeles Lakers

• Portland Trail Blazers

• Sacramento Kings

• San Antonio Spurs

West Group C may generate some of the tournament's biggest television audiences.

Golden State and the Lakers renew their California rivalry, while San Antonio continues its emergence as one of the league's most exciting teams.

The Spurs also have unfinished NBA Cup business after falling to New York in last season's championship game.

How Does the 2026 NBA Cup Format Work?

The core tournament structure remains straightforward.

Each franchise plays four designated NBA Cup group games, consisting of two home games and two road games.

After those games are completed, the three group winners from each conference automatically qualify for the knockout stage.

They are joined by one wild-card team from each conference.

The wild card goes to the best-performing second-place team, meaning finishing runner-up does not necessarily end a team's tournament.

That creates an eight-team knockout field:

• Three Eastern Conference group winners

• One Eastern Conference wild card

• Three Western Conference group winners

• One Western Conference wild card

From there, the tournament switches to single-elimination basketball.

Lose once and the NBA Cup campaign is over.

NBA Cup Quarterfinals and Semifinals Move to Team Arenas

One of the biggest changes for 2026 concerns where the knockout games will be played.

The quarterfinals will take place on December 4 and 5, with games hosted in NBA team markets.

More importantly, the semifinals will no longer be staged at a neutral venue.

Beginning this season, the higher-seeded team in each conference will host its semifinal.

The change gives teams another incentive to perform strongly during the earlier rounds while providing supporters with an opportunity to watch high-stakes NBA Cup basketball inside their regular home arenas.

It is a significant departure from the tournament's original Las Vegas-focused structure.

NBA Cup Final Moves From Las Vegas to Indianapolis

Perhaps the most noticeable change is the relocation of the championship game.

For the first three editions of the NBA Cup, Las Vegas served as the tournament's showcase destination, with T-Mobile Arena hosting the decisive stages.

That changes in 2026.

The championship will instead be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on December 11.

The historic arena opened in 1928 and is home to Butler University's basketball program.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has previously discussed the possibility of bringing NBA Cup championship games to famous college basketball venues, giving the tournament a distinctive identity separate from the NBA Finals.

Hinkle Fieldhouse certainly fits that vision.

Its history and intimate atmosphere could create a very different championship environment compared with the modern arenas normally associated with NBA basketball.

Prime Video to Carry the Knockout Rounds

Fans will also see a significant broadcasting element this season.

Prime Video will carry every game of the 2026 NBA Cup knockout rounds, covering the tournament from the quarterfinals through the championship.

That means the platform will become one of the primary destinations for fans following the Cup once group play concludes.

Do NBA Cup Games Count Toward the Regular Season?

Almost all of them do.

Group-stage games, quarterfinals and semifinals also count toward each team's regular-season record.

The only exception is the NBA Cup Championship game.

This allows the league to integrate the tournament into the regular season without forcing teams to play a completely separate schedule.

It also means poor performances during Cup play can have consequences beyond elimination from the tournament.

Players Can Earn NBA Cup Prize Money

There is more than a trophy at stake.

Players representing teams that reach the knockout stage will receive prize money, with payouts increasing depending on how far their team advances.

Players reaching the quarterfinals receive the lowest knockout-stage allocation, while semifinalists and runners-up earn progressively larger amounts.

The champions receive the largest individual payouts.

The financial rewards give players another incentive to take the competition seriously, particularly those on smaller contracts.

New York Knicks Enter as Defending Champions

The New York Knicks will enter the 2026 tournament attempting to accomplish something no NBA Cup champion has managed before: successfully defend the trophy.

New York defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the previous championship game, a matchup that later proved to be a preview of the 2026 NBA Finals.

The Knicks joined the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks on the list of NBA Cup winners.

So far, every edition has produced a different champion:

Whether that streak continues will be one of the biggest storylines surrounding the 2026 tournament.

What to Expect From the 2026 NBA Cup

The NBA Cup remains relatively young, but the league continues to adjust the competition rather than leaving its original format untouched.

Moving the semifinals into home arenas could increase atmosphere and give higher seeds a meaningful advantage. Taking the championship to historic venues such as Hinkle Fieldhouse also gives the Cup an identity that feels increasingly separate from both the regular season and traditional NBA playoffs.

And with every team playing only four group-stage games, there is almost no room for a slow start.

From heavyweight clashes in East Group B to a Western group featuring the Warriors, Lakers and Spurs, the 2026 edition should provide plenty of intriguing matchups before the traditional playoff race even begins.

The first games tip off on October 30, with one team eventually lifting the NBA Cup in Indianapolis on December 11.

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