The 2026 NBA Cup tipped off on Friday, Oct 30, and judging by the search charts, a lot of fans were trying to figure out why a random Friday game suddenly mattered. On Oct 31, NBA Cup opening-night matchups filled 10 of the top 25 searches on Google Trends in the US, led by Knicks vs 76ers. Here's how the in-season tournament works this year, which groups to watch, the key dates through the Dec 11 final, and a simple points-only bracket you can run in your group chat.
How the NBA Cup format works
All 30 teams play in the Cup, split into 6 groups of 5, with 3 groups in each conference. NBA.com explains that the groups were drawn randomly based on last season's records, and each team plays its 4 group opponents on designated Cup nights. Those games count toward the regular season standings as well as the Cup.
When group play ends, the 6 group winners advance, along with 1 wild card from each conference, which is the best second-place team. That makes 8 teams in the knockout round. According to Bleacher Report, Prime Video carries every knockout game, and players on teams that reach the knockouts earn prize money that grows with each round.
The 2026 NBA Cup groups
The full draw, per NBA.com, looks like this.
- West Group A: Nuggets, Rockets, Suns, Mavericks, Jazz
- West Group B: Thunder, Timberwolves, Clippers, Pelicans, Grizzlies
- West Group C: Spurs, Lakers, Trail Blazers, Warriors, Kings
- East Group A: Pistons, Raptors, Magic, Bucks, Nets
- East Group B: Knicks, Cavaliers, 76ers, Heat, Pacers
- East Group C: Celtics, Hawks, Hornets, Bulls, Wizards
Bleacher Report singled out East Group B as the stacked group, since it puts the defending champion Knicks alongside the Cavaliers, 76ers, Heat and Pacers. The Knicks won last year's Cup by beating the Spurs in the final, and San Antonio lands in West Group C this time. For Bay Area fans, that group is the one to circle, because the Warriors share it with the Spurs, Lakers, Trail Blazers and Kings, and Golden State opened its Cup run at home against the Lakers on opening night.
Key NBA Cup 2026 dates
Group play runs on Fridays, plus 2 midweek Cup nights before Thanksgiving. The full list of group nights is Oct 30 and Nov 6, 13, 20, 24, 25 and 27. After that, the knockout round moves fast.
- Quarterfinals: Dec 4 and 5, in team markets
- Semifinals: Dec 8 and 9, at the higher seed's home arena
- Championship: Friday, Dec 11, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
Every previous NBA Cup final was played in Las Vegas, so moving it to Hinkle, one of the most famous basketball buildings in the country, gives the 2026 final a very different feel. If you want a sense of how a single team's path looks, NBC Sports Boston laid out the Celtics' schedule, which runs from the Bulls on Oct 30 to a Nov 6 trip to Charlotte, a Nov 24 game in Washington and a Nov 27 home date with the Hawks.
How to run an NBA Cup bracket in your group chat
The Cup is a great fit for a group chat because the format is short, the picks are simple and the whole thing wraps up before the holidays. This points-only version keeps it about bragging rights.
- Before the Nov 6 games, everyone posts their picks for the 6 group winners and the 2 wild cards.
- Score 1 point for each correct group winner and 1 point for each correct wild card.
- Once the quarterfinal field is set on Nov 27, everyone picks the 4 quarterfinal winners, then the 2 semifinal winners, then the champion, with each correct pick worth 2 points.
- The lowest scorer picks the snacks for the Dec 11 final watch party, and the winner gets to rename the group chat for a week.
Use a poll for each round so nobody can change their picks after tipoff, and pin a running scoreboard so the standings are easy to check. If your chat needs a fresh name for the season, our list of NBA group chat names for 2026-27 has 75 ideas, and anyone running a fantasy league alongside the Cup can borrow from our fantasy basketball group chat names.
Why the Cup is worth following
The in-season tournament gives November games a playoff edge that the regular season usually lacks, and it creates storylines like a defending champion trying to repeat and a first-ever final away from Las Vegas. It also gives you a standing reason to message your friends on Friday nights through November. If the Spurs and Knicks meet again, longtime readers will remember our breakdown of the officiating in Game 3 between the Spurs and Knicks. For quieter stretches between Cup nights, our group chat games keep things moving.
Watch with other fans
The NBA Tribe is where fans trade takes on every Cup night, and it's a good place to recruit a few extra people for your bracket. You can also follow the Tribe Events calendar on Luma for upcoming trivia nights, game nights and watch parties around the Bay Area, so the Dec 11 final doesn't have to be a solo couch night.
