Both times the NBA Cup has been lifted, it has been by one of the legends of the game — LeBron James in 2023 and Giannis Antetokounmpo last year.
The NBA Cup can also tell us something about teams we may want to keep an eye on in May and June. Last December, the Oklahoma City Thunder were playing in the NBA Cup Finals (but had an off night and fell to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks; they were ready for the big stage by the time June rolled around). Two years ago, the Indiana Pacers, an up-and-coming team, reached the NBA Cup Finals, where they lost to the Lakers. However, they used the momentum from that run to reach the Eastern Conference Finals that year, then the NBA Finals this past season.
The NBA Cup schedule has been released, with games starting on Oct. 31 and running through December, with some of them on NBC and streaming on Peacock.
The NBA Cup opens with a Halloween night double header streamed on Prime: the Celtics at 76ers (7 p.m. ET), followed by the Lakers at Grizzlies (9:30 p.m. ET).
All 30 NBA teams will play at least four NBA Cup games within their group of five teams, then the winners of each group, as well as one wild card from each conference, will advance to a knockout round. The NBA Cup semi-finals will take place Dec. 13, with the Cup Finals on Dec. 16 in Las Vegas.
The groups are set and the schedule is OUT 👀
Starting October 31, all 30 teams will compete for the Emirates NBA Cup with 8 teams advancing out of groups into the knockout rounds, with the semifinals and championship held in Las Vegas, December 13 and 16!
See the FULL Cup… pic.twitter.com/NdMhLN8Rgv
— NBA (@NBA) August 13, 2025
Games on NBC, Peacock
Two critical games in the final week of group play will be broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock on Tuesday, Nov. 25. Those games are:
• Magic at 76ers (8 p.m. ET)
• Clippers at Lakers (11 p.m. ET)
Philly hosting Orlando features two East teams with high expectations entering this season after both were rocked by injuries a season ago. If everyone can stay healthy, this showdown between Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner against Paul George and Joel Embiid will be must watch.
Lakers fans like to say there is no rivalry with the Clippers, no battle for Los Angeles — until you tell them the Clippers have been the better team and the better run franchise for the past decade. These games between two teams that project to be top-six in the West are always entertaining, with LeBron and James Harden putting on a show.
Other NBA Cup games to watch
Here are a few more NBA Cup games to circle on your calendar.
Nov. 7: Rockets at Spurs
Nov. 7: Warriors at Nuggets
Nov. 14: Warriors at Spurs
Nov. 21: Nuggets at Rockets
Nov. 28: Bucks at Knicks
Nov. 28: Mavericks at Lakers