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Oklahoma City Thunder at Cleveland Cavaliers
2026-27 · Regular season
Interactive: The 2026 NBA Cup, step by step — three champions, 60 group games and a final at Hinkle Fieldhouse
The fourth NBA Cup opened on Oct. 30 with 10 games and a Warriors comeback from 25 down against the Lakers. Here is how the 2026 tournament works, who won it before, the prize money and the road to the Dec. 11 final in Indianapolis.
In this article
Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, host of the Dec. 11 final. Photo by JKBrooks85, resized.Interactive · Emirates NBA Cup 2026
The 2026 NBA Cup, step by step: three champions, 60 group games and a final in Indianapolis
The fourth NBA Cup tipped off on Friday, Oct. 30, with 10 games and a 40-point swing in San Francisco. Here is how the tournament works, who won it before, what is at stake and the road to the Dec. 11 final at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, home of the first three Cup finals. Photo by Ron Mader, CC-BY-SA-2.0, resized.Chapter 1
Three Cups, three champions
The NBA’s in-season tournament began in 2023. Every final so far has been played in Las Vegas, and every one has gone to a different team.
The Lakers won the first, the Bucks the second and the Knicks the third. The three Cup MVPs all came from the winning team: LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jalen Brunson.
- Lakers 123, Pacers 109. LeBron James is the first Cup MVP
- Bucks 97, Thunder 81. Giannis Antetokounmpo is MVP
- Knicks 124, Spurs 113. Jalen Brunson is MVP
- The fourth final moves out of Las Vegas to Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
0Cup finals played, all in Las Vegas
0Different champions
0Edition starting this season
Jalen Brunson with the championship and Finals MVP trophies. Photo credit: NBA / X video still.Chapter 2
The Knicks' double
Last December, the Knicks and Spurs both arrived in Las Vegas at 18-7. San Antonio led after three quarters, 94-89. New York won the fourth quarter 35-19.
OG Anunoby scored 28 and Brunson 25. Six months later, the Knicks won the NBA title too. They are the first team to win the Cup and the Finals in the same season.
2025 Cup final, points by quarter
“This is great and we're going to enjoy this. But once we leave tomorrow, we're moving on.”— Jalen Brunson after the 2025 Cup final
Victor Wembanyama at the 2025 NBA Cup in Las Vegas. Photo by Daiei Onoguchi, CC-BY-4.0, resized.Chapter 3
How the 2026 Cup works
All 30 teams were drawn into six groups of five, three in each conference. The draw used five pots based on 2025-26 records, so each group has one team from each tier.
Every team plays four group games, one against each opponent, two at home and two on the road. Those games also count in the regular-season standings.
Eight teams go through to the knockout rounds: the six group winners and one wild card from each conference.
0Teams
0Groups of five
0Group games, Oct. 30 to Nov. 27
0Teams in the knockout rounds
- Nuggets, Rockets, Suns, Mavericks, Jazz
- Clippers, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Thunder
- Warriors, Lakers, Trail Blazers, Kings, Spurs
- Nets, Pistons, Bucks, Magic, Raptors
- Knicks, Cavaliers, 76ers, Heat, Pacers
- Celtics, Hawks, Hornets, Bulls, Wizards
Stephen Curry against the Lakers in San Francisco, Oct. 30, 2026. Photo by Golden State Warriors, resized.Chapter 4
Opening night: 38-15, then 38-15 the other way
Luka Doncic scored 21 in the first quarter, more than the whole Warriors team, and the Lakers led 38-15. Golden State trailed by as many as 25.
Then the Warriors won the second quarter 38-15 and tied it 53-53 at the half. Brandin Podziemski gave them their first lead since 2-0 late in the third, and an 18-0 run in the fourth put it away.
Warriors-Lakers, points by quarter
0Warriors' final score, to the Lakers' 95
0The Lakers' biggest lead
0Curry's points, with 8 threes, at 38 years old
0Doncic's points in the loss
It was the biggest winning margin in the shot clock era for a team that trailed by 20 or more after the first quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo with the Heat. Photo credit: NBA / X video still.Chapter 5
Ten games, ten 1-0 teams
The first Cup Night put 20 of the 30 teams on the court. The Sixers beat the champion Knicks for the second time in 10 days, 98-93. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists in Miami’s 145-125 win over Indiana.
Scottie Barnes scored a career-high 41 for Toronto, but Orlando won 121-114. Jamal Murray scored 39 as Denver won 127-120 in Phoenix.
Opening night winning margins
“Very excited, very mature. Fits in with the team. He didn't try to do too much. He let the game come to him.”— John Wall on AJ Dybantsa, before the Wizards beat Charlotte 95-79
LeBron James, the first NBA Cup MVP, with the Lakers in 2022. Photo by Erik Drost, CC-BY-2.0, resized.Chapter 6
The money and the road to Indianapolis
Players get paid for going deep. Last year, each Knicks player on a standard contract earned $530,933 for winning, up from $500,000 in 2023. Each Spurs player got $212,373, and players on teams that reached the semifinals got $106,187.
2025 Cup prize money per player
- Philadelphia at Cleveland, Portland at the Lakers
- New York at Indiana, Golden State at San Antonio
- Toronto at Detroit, Houston at Denver
- Extra Cup Nights in Thanksgiving week
- Group play ends: Miami at New York, Lakers at San Antonio
- Quarterfinals in NBA team markets
- Semifinals in NBA team markets
- Championship at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
After one night, the 10 losing teams, the champion Knicks and the Lakers among them, are already chasing. Last season’s Raptors went 4-0 in group play and still lost in the quarterfinals, to the Knicks.
The next Cup Night is Friday, Nov. 6. Group play ends on Nov. 27, and the champion will be crowned on Dec. 11 in Indianapolis.
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