Emirates NBA Cup explained: Format, schedule, groups for 2024 NBA in-season tournament
We are less than 10 games into the NBA season, and yet the second annual in-season tournament is already nearly upon us. Beginning Tuesday, Nov. 12, the 2024 tournament, rebranded as the Emirates Cup this season, will take place over the course of the next month, culminating in the championship on Dec. 17 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
In 2023, the Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural tournament, securing the victory with a 123-109 win over the Indiana Pacers. Both teams would go on to reach the NBA postseason, and although the Lakers were eliminated in the first round by the Denver Nuggets, the Pacers would go all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the eventual champion Boston Celtics.
In essence, this tournament could be a good indicator of which teams could surprise people at the end of the season. Of course though, with injuries already running rampant across the league, several NBA championship contenders may not be in a position to compete for the NBA Cup currently.
Here's everything to know about the NBA's second-ever in-season tournament:
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How does the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup work?
In July, all 30 NBA teams were divided into six groups of five teams with the Eastern and Western Conferences still separated. The groups were determined by the previous season's end-of-year seedings.
Every Tuesday – beginning Nov. 12 and through Dec. 3 – and on the Fridays of Nov. 15, 22, and 29, the league will play group stage games, determining seeding for the knockout rounds, which will begin on Dec. 10. Records during the group stage and knockout rounds will count towards each team's regular season record. The only game of the Emirates Cup tournament that will not count toward the regular season is the championship.
Each team will play every other team in their group to determine whether or not they qualify for the knockout round. Should two or more teams be tied following the group stage, the tiebreakers are as follows:
- 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
The winners of each group as well as one wild card team from each conference will advance to the single-elimination knockout stages.
Emirates NBA Cup groups for 2024
Western Conference
- Group A: Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings
- Group B: Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs
- Group C: Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies
Eastern Conference
- Group A: New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets
- Group B: Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons
- Group C: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards
2024 Emirates NBA Cup schedule
Group Play
- Tuesday, Nov. 12
- Friday, Nov. 15
- Tuesday, Nov. 19
- Friday, Nov. 22
- Tuesday, Nov. 26
- Friday, Nov. 29
- Tuesday, Dec. 3
Knockout stages
- Quarterfinals — Tuesday, Dec. 10 and Wednesday, Dec. 11
- Semifinals — Saturday, Dec. 14
- Finals — Tuesday, Dec. 17 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV
What prize do Emirates NBA Cup winners receive?
Members of the tournament's winning team will receive additional financial compensation. In 2023, $500,000 was awarded to each player on the championship team; $200,000 was awarded to each player on the runner-up; $100,000 went to each player on the third and fourth-place teams; and $50,000 was granted to each team that lost in the quarterfinals.