The 2025 Emirates NBA Cup, the third edition of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament, is officially underway. Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s competition, including the full schedule, standings, and how to watch live.
2025 NBA Cup Schedule
Knockout Rounds
All times Eastern
Friday, November 7
Friday, November 14
Friday, November 21
Tuesday, November 25
Wednesday, November 26
Friday, November 28
Knockout Rounds
December 9–10: Quarterfinals
- TBD vs. TBD (Prime)
- TBD vs. TBD (Prime)
- TBD vs. TBD (Prime)
- TBD vs. TBD (Prime)
Saturday, December 13: Semifinals
- TBD vs. TBD (Prime)
- TBD vs. TBD (Prime)
Tuesday, December 16: Championship
2025 NBA Cup Standings
East Group A
- Atlanta Hawks (1-0) +20
- Toronto Raptors (1-0) +11
- Cleveland Cavaliers (0-1) -11
- Indiana Pacers (0-1) -20
- Washington Wizards (0-0) 0
East Group B
- Boston Celtics (1-0) +1
- Philadelphia 76ers (0-1) -1
- Detroit Pistons (0-0) 0
- Orlando Magic (0-0) 0
- Brooklyn Nets (0-0) 0
East Group C
- Chicago Bulls (1-0) +10
- New York Knicks (0-1) -10
- Milwaukee Bucks (0-0) 0
- Miami Heat (0-0) 0
- Charlotte Hornets (0-0) 0
West Group A
- Phoenix Suns (1-0) +22
- Utah Jazz (0-1) -22
- Oklahoma City Thunder (0-0) 0
- Minnesota Timberwolves (0-0) 0
- Sacramento Kings (0-0) 0
West Group B
- Los Angeles Lakers (1-0) +5
- LA Clippers (1-0) +2
- New Orleans Pelicans (0-1) -2
- Memphis Grizzlies (0-1) -5
- Dallas Mavericks (0-0) 0
West Group C
- Portland Trail Blazers (1-0) +2
- Denver Nuggets (0-1) -2
- Houston Rockets (0-0) 0
- Golden State Warriors (0-0) 0
- San Antonio Spurs (0-0) 0
* Eliminated from contention
** Clinched group
*** Clinched wild card
2025 NBA Cup Scores
Group Play
Friday, October 31
Where will the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup take place?
Group play will take place in normal NBA arenas depending on who is home and away. Once play reaches the semifinals and finals, play will take place in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena.
How to watch the Emirates NBA Cup
The 2025 NBA Cup will be shown on various TV networks, including nationally on ESPN, TNT and NBA TV. Local Regional Sports Networks will also have coverage. Out-of-market games that are not broadcast nationally can be watched on NBA League Pass.
What is the Emirates NBA Cup?
The Emirates NBA Cup is a tournament that will take place during the regular season and feature all 30 NBA teams competing for a championship title. The goal is to provide additional excitement and engagement for fans, especially during the early part of the regular season which has suffered in recent years, as well as create new revenue streams for the league. Last year, the Milwaukee Bucks bested the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the second year of the tournament.
What’s the format?
The tournament will be divided into six pools with five teams apiece, and pools will consist of teams within the same conference, but not necessarily the same division. Teams will play four group games, matching up with each team in their pool once, with winners advancing to a single-elimination stage.
Eight teams advance to the knockout rounds: the six group winners and two wild card teams. Knockout rounds consist of single-elimination games.
Each squad will have 80 games on their initial regular-season schedule, while those who don’t qualify for elimination games in the tournament will have two more games added. The two teams who compete for the championship will play 83 total regular-season games. In addition, statistics for the games will count towards regular season totals, aside from the championship game.
How are groups determined?
Before group play begins, a group play draw took place on Wednesday, July 9. Each team was placed into a “pot” based on its record from the prior regular season (2024-25). In each conference, one team from each pot was randomly selected into each of the three groups in that conference.
Pot 1 has the teams with the three best prior-season records in a conference. Pot 2 has the teams with the 4th-6th best records in a conference. This three-group system continues until all 5 Pots are full.
