NBA Cup 2026 groups and schedule: all 60 group games from October 30 to Black Friday, with Knicks-76ers in the opening wave

The NBA Cup’s group stage opens Friday, October 30, with 10 games in one night, and the 60-game round runs through Black Friday, November 27, before eight teams move on to a knockout bracket that ends at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Friday, December 11.

That makes the next five Fridays, plus a Tuesday and Wednesday of Thanksgiving week, the most important regular-season nights of the fall. Every group game counts in the standings and decides who keeps playing for a trophy in December, so circling these dates now is worth the effort for any fan planning a trip to the arena.

The six groups

All 30 teams were drawn into groups of five inside their own conference, with last season’s records used to seed the draw. The champion Knicks land in East B with the Cavaliers, 76ers, Heat and Pacers, the toughest-looking group on paper. Out West, the Spurs and Lakers share West C with the Warriors, Kings and Trail Blazers.

Group	Teams
East A	Bucks, Magic, Nets, Pistons, Raptors
East B	76ers, Cavaliers, Heat, Knicks, Pacers
East C	Bulls, Celtics, Hawks, Hornets, Wizards
West A	Jazz, Mavericks, Nuggets, Rockets, Suns
West B	Clippers, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Thunder, Timberwolves
West C	Kings, Lakers, Spurs, Trail Blazers, Warriors

How teams advance

Each team plays four group games, two at home and two on the road, one against every other team in its group. The three group winners in each conference go through, along with one wild card per conference, the second-place team with the best record. The quarterfinals and semifinals count as regular-season games; the final does not.

Every group game, date by date

All times are Eastern. Each matchup links to its Game Center page, which will carry the national TV listing, the live score and the box score.

Friday, October 30

Game	Group	Tip (ET)
Hornets at Wizards	East C	7:00 p.m.
Bulls at Celtics	East C	7:30 p.m.
Pistons at Nets	East A	7:30 p.m.
Knicks at 76ers	East B	7:30 p.m.
Magic at Raptors	East A	7:30 p.m.
Pacers at Heat	East B	8:00 p.m.
Rockets at Mavericks	West A	8:00 p.m.
Clippers at Timberwolves	West B	8:00 p.m.
Lakers at Warriors	West C	10:00 p.m.
Nuggets at Suns	West A	10:00 p.m.

Friday, November 6

Game	Group	Tip (ET)
Wizards at Hawks	East C	7:00 p.m.
Celtics at Hornets	East C	7:00 p.m.
76ers at Cavaliers	East B	7:30 p.m.
Jazz at Mavericks	West A	8:00 p.m.
Thunder at Grizzlies	West B	8:00 p.m.
Raptors at Bucks	East A	8:00 p.m.
Timberwolves at Pelicans	West B	8:00 p.m.
Trail Blazers at Lakers	West C	10:00 p.m.
Spurs at Kings	West C	10:00 p.m.

Friday, November 13

Game	Group	Tip (ET)
Knicks at Pacers	East B	7:00 p.m.
Bucks at Magic	East A	7:00 p.m.
Cavaliers at Heat	East B	8:00 p.m.
Hawks at Bulls	East C	8:00 p.m.
Grizzlies at Pelicans	West B	8:00 p.m.
Jazz at Rockets	West A	8:30 p.m.
Warriors at Spurs	West C	9:30 p.m.
Trail Blazers at Kings	West C	10:00 p.m.
Thunder at Clippers	West B	10:30 p.m.

Friday, November 20

Game	Group	Tip (ET)
Hornets at Hawks	East C	7:00 p.m.
Magic at Nets	East A	7:30 p.m.
Pacers at Cavaliers	East B	7:30 p.m.
Raptors at Pistons	East A	7:30 p.m.
Wizards at Bulls	East C	8:00 p.m.
Pelicans at Thunder	West B	8:00 p.m.
Suns at Jazz	West A	9:30 p.m.
Rockets at Nuggets	West A	10:00 p.m.
Kings at Lakers	West C	10:00 p.m.

Tuesday, November 24

Game	Group	Tip (ET)
Pistons at Magic	East A	7:00 p.m.
Celtics at Wizards	East C	8:00 p.m.
Mavericks at Nuggets	West A	10:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November 25

Game	Group	Tip (ET)
Heat at 76ers	East B	5:00 p.m.
Bulls at Hornets	East C	7:00 p.m.
Cavaliers at Knicks	East B	7:30 p.m.
Timberwolves at Thunder	West B	7:30 p.m.
Clippers at Grizzlies	West B	8:00 p.m.
Nets at Bucks	East A	8:00 p.m.
Suns at Rockets	West A	8:30 p.m.
Kings at Warriors	West C	10:00 p.m.
Spurs at Trail Blazers	West C	10:00 p.m.

Friday, November 27

Game	Group	Tip (ET)
Heat at Knicks	East B	7:00 p.m.
Bucks at Pistons	East A	7:30 p.m.
76ers at Pacers	East B	7:30 p.m.
Nets at Raptors	East A	7:30 p.m.
Hawks at Celtics	East C	8:00 p.m.
Grizzlies at Timberwolves	West B	8:30 p.m.
Mavericks at Suns	West A	9:00 p.m.
Lakers at Spurs	West C	9:30 p.m.
Nuggets at Jazz	West A	9:30 p.m.
Pelicans at Clippers	West B	9:30 p.m.
Warriors at Trail Blazers	West C	9:30 p.m.

Knockout rounds and tickets

• Quarterfinals: Friday, December 4, and Saturday, December 5, in the home arenas of the higher seeds.
• Semifinals: Tuesday, December 8, and/or Wednesday, December 9, also in team markets, not in Las Vegas as in the first three years.
• Championship: Friday, December 11, at Hinkle Fieldhouse, streamed on Prime Video, which carries every knockout game.

Group games are part of each team’s regular home schedule, so tickets come through the home team’s usual box office and season plans, and the games are played on each team’s new Cup court, with some clubs, like the Warriors, adding Cup-night giveaways. Knockout tickets are a different story: a quarterfinal home game is only known once the group stage ends on November 27, which leaves teams about a week to sell it. The final is the scarcest seat of the season, since the 1928 Butler University gym holds about 9,100 people. The league sells Cup tickets through its official events site, and it has not yet announced prices for the final.

What comes next

Before the Cup, the season tips off Tuesday, October 20, with Celtics at Pistons and the Knicks’ banner night against the 76ers. The first Cup night follows ten days later, highlighted by the rematch of that opener in Philadelphia, Knicks at 76ers, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The full season calendar is in our 2026-27 key dates guide.