Do NBA Cup games matter? Why it counts and how it works

The NBA season may have just started, but in just a few weeks, the league will name an MVP, a team will receive a trophy, and a banner will be raised to the rafters.

There will also be some very colorful courts.

The league will begin the second edition of its began its in-season tournament on Nov. 12, with all 30 teams having an opportunity to win the Emirates Cup and cash prizes. 

The addition of the tournament drew mixed reactions from fans on social media when the league officially unveiled the format last season, with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the inaugural cup.

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The Lakers unveil their In-Season Tournament Championship banner! 🏆

Knicks-Lakers | Live on the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/vtlQiUFW7q pic.twitter.com/nPXwYKi2zN

— NBA (@NBA) December 19, 2023

“This is a concept that has been rumbling around the league office for about 15 years,” Adam Silver told reporters at the time. “It’s not a new concept in sports. For those that follow particularly international soccer, it’s a long tradition of having in-season tournaments...so we thought, what a perfect opportunity for a global league like the NBA and it’s a perfect fit for our game.”

Here's everything to know about how the tournament works, the schedule and how to watch.

When does the NBA in-season tournament start?

The first in-season tournament games will be played on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

All NBA games played on Tuesdays and Fridays between Nov. 12 and Dec. 3 -- now called  "Cup Nights" -- will be group play games.

The quarterfinals will be held on Dec. 10 and Dec. 11, and the semifinals will be played on Dec. 14. The tournament concludes with the championship game on Dec. 17.

Here is the full schedule.

How does the NBA in-season tournament work?

The NBA Cup has a similar format to the World Cup, with group play and a knockout round.

All 30 teams will compete in group play, having been placed into six groups of five teams within their conference. Teams face each of their group opponents once for a total of four group play games, two at home and two on the road.

If two or more teams are tied within a group, the following tiebreakers are used...

  • Head-to-head record in group play

  • Point differential in group play

  • Total points scored in group play

  • Record from the 2023-24 NBA regular season

  • Random drawing (in the unlikely scenario that two or more teams are still tied following the previous tiebreakers)

Eight teams advance to the single-elimination knockout rounds: the top team in each of the six groups and a wild-card team in each conference that's awarded to the second-place finisher with the best overall record. Wild card tiebreakers follow the same tiebreaker sequence but begin with point differential.

Winning teams advance to the semifinals and then finals.

Teams entered the season with only 80 scheduled games. The 22 teams that do not advance to the knockout round will play two regular-season games during tournament off nights on Dec. 12 or 13, and Dec. 15 or 16. The four teams that lose in the quarterfinals will play a regular-season game on Dec. 15 or 16.

What are the groups for the NBA in-season tournament?

The 30 teams were divided into six groups based on records from the 2023-2024 regular season.

Pot 1: The teams with the three best prior-season records in a conference

Pot 2: The teams with the fourth- through sixth-best prior-season records

Pot 3: The teams with the seventh- through ninth-best prior-season records

Pot 4: The teams with the 10th-through 12th-best prior-season records

Pot 5: The teams with the 13th-through 15th-best prior-season records

And here are the six groups in total, with three in each conference.

West Group A: Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers

West Group B: Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs

West Group C: Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies

East Group A: New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets

East Group B: Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons

East Group C: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards

Does the NBA in-season tournament matter?

Define "matter."

All of the games count towards the 82-game regular-season standings, with the exception of the championship game. Teams that advance to the knockout round all receive a share of the roughly $18 million prize pool, with teams advancing the furthest getting the largest allotment.

Players on the team that wins the NBA Cup will take home an extra $500,000 each, while the runner-up will receive $200,000 each. Semifinal losers will collect $100,000 each and the quarterfinal losers get $50,000.

The tournament winner also gets bragging rights, a trophy and even celebratory hats and shirts.

The NBA will also name the Most Valuable Player of the In-Season Tournament and the All-Tournament Team.

But, other than tournament games counting towards regular-season win-loss records, the tournament has no impact on the postseason bracket.

Where is the in-season tournament NBA?

Group play and the knockout rounds of the in-season tournament will be played at each team's respective home arenas.

The semifinals and championship will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

How to watch the NBA in-season tournament

In the group play stage, TNT and ESPN will combine to air 14 games and NBA TV will televise three games. The national broadcast schedule for the Knockout Rounds will be announced at a later date.

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The NBA today released its complete game schedule and national television schedule for Group Play of the Emirates NBA Cup 2024. These games will be played on Tuesdays and Fridays from Nov. 12 – Dec. 3.

🏀 Schedule by day/team: https://t.co/yDYpnkpsSK

🏀 Press release:… pic.twitter.com/NuSvQpkurR

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 13, 2024