The NBA has announced the groupings for the third NBA Cup. Defending champions Milwaukee will face prominent competition from the East in the preliminary round.
Milwaukee Bucks, who won last year’s inaugural in-season tournament, will face the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, and Charlotte Hornets in the group stage of the 2025 NBA Cup. A total of six groups of five teams each were announced by the league on Wednesday – three per conference.
The tournament is scheduled to start on October 31, with the group stage running until November 28. The quarterfinals will take place on December 9 and 10, with the semifinals and final once again being held in Las Vegas on December 13 and 16, respectively. The final does not count towards the regular season statistics, but all other games do. Teams that miss out on the knockout phase will receive two additional games against other eliminated teams to complete the 82 regular season games.
All groups at a glance
Eastern Conference
Group A: Cleveland, Indiana, Atlanta, Toronto, Washington
Group B: Boston, Detroit, Orlando, Brooklyn, Philadelphia
Group C: Milwaukee, New York, Chicago, Miami, Charlotte
Western Conference
Group A: Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Sacramento, Phoenix, Utah
Group B: L.A. Lakers, LA Clippers, Memphis, Dallas, New Orleans
Group C: Houston, Denver, Golden State, Portland, San Antonio
The full NBA Cup schedule will be released in August, along with the official schedule for the 2025/26 NBA season.
