The 2025 Emirates NBA Cup’s first stage is nearly complete.
This week, NBA teams around the league will compete in their final group stage games. Once it’s all said and done the NBA Cup playoff picture will be complete. It may take a bit of a back seat for some sports fans given the craziness of Thanksgiving week across the sporting spectrum, with NFL, college football, and college basketball all putting on primetime showcases. But for basketball fans it will be another night of competitive hoops with unusual early-season stakes.
Here’s everything you need to know about how the NBA Cup group stage is shaping up as we enter the final games.
How the NBA Cup group stage works
As the NBA Cup is still pretty new, it would be understandable if a refresher on the rules is needed.
The first stage of the NBA Cup is the group stage. Before the season the league’s 30 teams were separated into six groups, three in each conference, containing five teams each. Over the first month of the season the teams have faced off in official NBA Cup games against other teams in their group. They play a total of four games, one against each team in their group. This Friday will bring the last round of those games.
When it’s all said and done, one team from each group will officially qualify for the NBA Cup playoffs. In addition, each conference will receive one “wild card” team. The wild card team is determined by whatever team has the best record in group play but didn’t win their group.
NBA Cup tiebreakers
In the instance multiple contenders for a playoff spot end up with the same record, either as a wild card or winner of a group stage, there are multiple sets of tiebreakers to go through in order to determine who will advance.
The tiebreakers are, in order:
- Head-to-head results
- Point differential
- Total points scored
What teams have clinched an NBA Cup playoff spot?
Entering Tuesday’s round of cup games, only one team has offically clinched a spot—the Raptors. Toronto went 3-0 in its first three games of group play and own a head-to-head tiebreaker over the second-place Cavaliers, who are 2-1 entering Tuesday.
Otherwise, the last five groups are still technically up for grabs. The wild card spots have also yet to be determined.
What teams have been eliminated from the NBA Cup?
Three teams have been officially eliminated from NBA Cup playoff contention entering this week. In the East, the Pacers are eliminated with a 0-2 in Group A and a -31 point differential. In the West, the Pelicans are eliminated with an 0-3 record in Group B along with the Jazz, who have gone 0-3 in Group A.
Those are the only teams to be mathematically eliminated at this point. But the majority of teams are holding on to only the slimmest of hopes. Teams with two losses in group play stage such as the Celtics, Mavericks, or Warriors face very long odds to qualify.
NBA Cup playoff contenders
The Raptors have clinched a playoff spot by winning their group and therefore automatically qualify as a top contender for this year’s NBA Cup. Toronto is 9-1 in the last 10 games and the new starting five of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, and Jakob Poetl are beginning to mesh very well. With the way they’re playing right now the Raptors are tough to beat on any given night.
Looking around the league, there have been a few other elite performers in the group stage who figure to make a serious push for the NBA Cup title. The Thunder, obviously, rank among the very best. The defending champs (and finalists for last year’s NBA Cup title) have gone 2-0 in group stage play with a +63 point differential. With their sights ultimately set on championship contention the Thunder may not push as hard as other teams to win the in-season tournament but they might be so good it doesn’t matter; OKC has lost only one game this season overall.
Other teams undefeated in group stage play entering this week include: the Pistons, Magic, Bucks, Suns, Lakers, and Clippers.
What’s at stake in the NBA Cup entering final stage of group play
The Raptors have already clinched Group A but every other group is still up for grabs, leading to a variety of possible clinching scenarios this week.
In the East’s Group B, the Pistons and Magic will be facing off for the playoff spot on Friday. Both squads are 2-0 and play each other on Friday night. The winner will earn the playoff berth, while the loser will be potentially eligible for a wild card spot depending on tiebreakers. The rest of the group is not yet mathematically eliminated but face rather long odds to qualify for the NBA cup playoffs.
Group C in the East is a bit muddier. The Bucks currently hold pole position with a 2-0 record and play two group stage games this week. But Milwaukee is without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is recovering from a groin strain. Their first opportunity to clinch will come on Wednesday. If the Bucks beat the Heat and the Knicks lose to the Hornets, Milwaukee will be heading back to the NBA Cup playoffs after winning the in-season tournament last year. But if the Knicks lose and the Heat beat the Bucks, Miami will earn the berth. If the Knicks and Bucks both win then the group will come down to a Friday night matchup between the two.
In the West, Group A is a tight race between the Thunder and Suns. If both teams beat their respective opponents on Wednesday, it’ll all come down to a Friday night clash for the Group A playoff berth. If one or both lose then it grows more complicated and may come down to point differential.
For Group B, the Lakers can clinch a playoff spot by beating the Clippers on Wednesday night with both teams sitting at 2-0 in group play. Simple as that. If the Clippers win then they could end up in a grudge match for the Group B berth on Friday against the Grizzlies (1-1 in group play) if Memphis beats New Orleans on Wednesday. If the Grizzlies lose to the Pelicans and the Clippers beat their cross-town rivals then James Harden’s squad is headed to the NBA Cup as Group B winners.
Last but not least, the West’s Group C. This is a competitive group with no undefeated teams remaining; the Trail Blazers currently occupy the top spot in the standings at 2-1 in group play. If Portland takes down San Antonio on Wednesday it will clinch the group’s playoff berth. If not, the group will be decided by a Nuggets-Spurs showdown on Friday night.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA Cup Playoff Scenarios: What’s at Stake Entering Final Round of Group Play .
