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Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic
2026-27 · Regular season
First NBA Cup Night, Oct. 30: Warriors shirts for every fan, a Knicks-76ers rematch and what all 10 arenas have planned
The Emirates NBA Cup opens Friday, Oct. 30, with 10 games. Here is every tip time in local and Cairo time and what each host team has planned, from Golden State's two-color Cup shirts to Toronto, Boston and Dallas Cup nights and Minnesota's Hunt the Cup deadline.
In this article
Oct. 21, 2026 — The Emirates NBA Cup starts in nine days. Friday, Oct. 30, is the first of seven Cup Nights, with 10 group games in one evening, from Hornets at Wizards at 7 p.m. ET to Lakers at Warriors and Nuggets at Suns at 10 p.m. ET. Every one of those games is a regular home game for the host team, so tickets, doors and giveaways are set by the 10 home clubs, not by the league. Golden State is the only host so far with a shirt for every fan. Boston, Toronto and Dallas have branded the night, Philadelphia’s Goldfish Blimp is back for the Knicks rematch, and Minnesota’s $199 Cup ticket deal closes the day before.
The groups and all 60 group games are in our NBA Cup 2026 groups and schedule. This guide is about what fans get in the building on the first Cup Night.
All 10 games on the first Cup Night
Tip times come from the league schedule and the team and arena game pages. Egypt leaves summer time at midnight on Thursday, Oct. 29, so Cairo is on UTC+2 that weekend and every game tips in the early hours of Saturday, Oct. 31, Cairo time. “Not announced” means the home team has not named a giveaway or theme for the game.
| Game | Arena | Group | Tip (local) | Cairo time | Fan note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornets at Wizards | Capital One Arena, Washington | East C | 7 p.m. ET | Sat 1:00 a.m. | Not announced |
| Bulls at Celtics | TD Garden, Boston | East C | 7:30 p.m. ET | Sat 1:30 a.m. | Boston Children’s Hospital night; general doors 6:30 p.m. |
| Pistons at Nets | Barclays Center, Brooklyn | East A | 7:30 p.m. ET | Sat 1:30 a.m. | Not announced |
| Knicks at 76ers | Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia | East B | 7:30 p.m. ET (Prime Video) | Sat 1:30 a.m. | Goldfish Blimp game |
| Magic at Raptors | Scotiabank Arena, Toronto | East A | 7:30 p.m. ET | Sat 1:30 a.m. | Raptors Cup Night presented by Lotto Max |
| Pacers at Heat | Kaseya Center, Miami | East B | 8 p.m. ET | Sat 2:00 a.m. | No giveaway listed; postgame free throw and pregame passes on sale |
| Rockets at Mavericks | American Airlines Center, Dallas | West A | 7 p.m. CT | Sat 2:00 a.m. | 2026 Cup Night presented by Dr Pepper |
| Clippers at Timberwolves | Target Center, Minneapolis | West B | 7 p.m. CT | Sat 2:00 a.m. | Wolves Night Out package; Hunt the Cup pass starts here |
| Lakers at Warriors | Chase Center, San Francisco | West C | 7 p.m. PT (Prime Video) | Sat 4:00 a.m. | Warriors Cup Games shirt for every fan, two colors |
| Nuggets at Suns | Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix | West A | 7 p.m. MST | Sat 4:00 a.m. | Not announced |
Two games are on Prime Video in the U.S., the Knicks-76ers rematch and Lakers-Warriors. The other eight are on NBA League Pass and local team broadcasts. All 10 are played on the host team’s new Cup court, which teams unveiled on Oct. 13.
Golden State: a shirt on every seat, in two colors
The Warriors call their home Cup nights Warriors Cup Games, and the first one is the Lakers game. Every fan gets a Warriors Cup Games shirt from CarMax, and for the first time at Chase Center alternating sections get different colors, grey and blue, to match the Cup court and contrast with the Statement Edition uniforms the team wears in Cup games. It is the second Lakers-Warriors game of the young season, with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves against Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. The same shirt returns for the Kings on Wednesday, Nov. 25. Ticket and pricing details are in our Warriors Cup Games guide.
Philadelphia: the Knicks again, ten days later
The Cup opens with a rematch of opening night. Philadelphia beat New York 106-100 at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 20, the night the Knicks raised their championship banner, and the two meet again at Xfinity Mobile Arena in East Group B, the group with the Cavaliers, Heat and Pacers. It is one of the Sixers’ Goldfish Blimp games, when a blimp drops Goldfish snacks and coupons over the seats before the game and at halftime. The Sixers have not yet published their 2026-27 theme nights, and no giveaway is listed for the game.
Toronto, Boston and Dallas: branded nights
Toronto’s first Raptors Cup Night, presented by Lotto Max, comes two days after Raptors Halloween against the same opponent, Orlando. The team is selling it as tournament basketball on a new court with higher stakes; it has not named a giveaway. The second Raptors Cup Night is Friday, Nov. 27, against Brooklyn. The rest of the Scotiabank Arena calendar is in our Raptors theme nights guide.
Boston hosts Chicago for the second time in five days, after the Oct. 26 Seats for Soldiers game, and the Celtics have made the Cup game their Boston Children’s Hospital night. TD Garden opens doors at 6:30 p.m. for the general public and 5:30 p.m. for Boston Garden Society members. No giveaway is listed; the Celtics’ bobblehead nights are in our Celtics specialty nights guide.
In Dallas, both home group games, Houston on Oct. 30 and Utah on Nov. 6, are 2026 Cup Nights presented by Dr Pepper, two days after Breast Health Awareness Night against Oklahoma City. The Mavericks’ giveaways come mostly through theme-night ticket packs, and none is attached to the Cup games (Mavericks theme nights).
Minnesota: last call for Hunt the Cup
The Timberwolves’ Hunt the Cup pass, $199 for one seat at each of 11 home games from the Clippers game on Oct. 30 through the Grizzlies on Nov. 27, must be bought by noon CT on Thursday, Oct. 29, which is 8 p.m. in Cairo. If Minnesota wins the Cup, buyers get the $199 back as ticket credit; taxes and fees are not refunded. The full terms are in our Hunt the Cup guide.
For the Clippers game itself, Minnesota is selling a Wolves Night Out package presented by Michelob ULTRA: a game ticket plus a beer, seltzer or non-alcoholic drink, from $34 a person and up to four tickets per order. It is not one of the team’s 12 giveaway nights (Timberwolves giveaways).
Miami, Washington, Brooklyn and Phoenix
The Heat list no giveaway for the Pacers’ visit, Miami’s first home game in East Group B, which also holds the Knicks, 76ers and Cavaliers. Miami’s game page instead sells add-ons: a postgame free throw on the court, a pregame pass that gets fans in two hours early to watch warmups from the first rows, and a lounge pass. All Kaseya Center tickets are mobile-only.
Washington, Brooklyn and Phoenix have not named anything for their Cup games yet. The Suns’ next listed promotion is Día de los Muertos on Nov. 4, with a shot glass for the first 5,000 fans 21 and older (Suns theme nights). The Wizards’ and Nets’ season calendars are in our Wizards promotions and Nets Eras Nights guides.
The next Cup Nights with giveaways
Charlotte’s first home Cup game, against Boston on Friday, Nov. 6, is a Cup Night presented by Bank of America with a rally towel for the first 7,500 fans (Hornets theme nights). Detroit’s Cup Night against Milwaukee on Black Friday, Nov. 27, comes with a Statement belt bag (Pistons giveaways). Golden State’s second shirt night is Nov. 25 against Sacramento.
Group play ends on Nov. 27. The quarterfinals are Dec. 4-5 and the semifinals Dec. 8-9, all in team arenas, and the final is Friday, Dec. 11, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The rest of the season calendar is in our 2026-27 key dates guide.
Giveaways are handed out at the doors while supplies last, and teams can add or change promotions before game night. Check the team or arena game page before you go.
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