2024 NBA Cup schedule, bracket for in-season tournament: When games will start, end in event’s second year

The NBA Cup is back for Year 2. And even skeptics of the NBA’s inaugural event (called the NBA In-Season Tournament in 2023) had to be impressed with the level of product the players and teams gave us last year. Everyone seemed genuinely invested and put their best foot forward to win the title and the $500,000-per-player prize. The Lakers claimed the crown. Tyrese Haliburton broke out as a superstar for the Pacers.

The 2024 version of the event, now known as the Emirates NBA Cup, tips off Tuesday night. The NBA Cup format sees all 30 teams participate, and they’re broken into six five-team groups for round robin group play. Those games will take place on Tuesday and Fridays between Nov. 12 and Dec. 3 and feature unique NBA Cup courts. There are three groups of Eastern Conference Teams and three groups of Western Conference teams.

The winners of each group (based on round-robin record and point differential if a tiebreaker is needed), plus one wild card from each conference (best record of non-group winner), will advance to the knockout stage, where the tournament becomes single-elimination all the way through the semifinals and final in Las Vegas. 

Below is the schedule for the entire 2024 NBA Cup. Group play will run through Dec. 3. The knockout round starts Dec. 10 and culminates with the title game on Dec. 17 in Las Vegas. The first day of action on Tuesday features plenty of intrigue: Joel Embiid is set to make his season debut as the 76ers host the Knicks, and Klay Thompson will return to Golden State for the first time as a visiting player when the Warriors welcome the Mavericks.

2024 NBA Cup schedule

Group play schedule

Tuesday, Nov. 12

Friday, Nov. 15

• Pacers vs. Heat, 7 p.m. ET 
• Magic vs. 76ers, 7 p.m. ET 
• Raptors vs. Pistons, 7 p.m. ET 
• Hawks vs. Wizards, 7:30 p.m. ET 
• Cavaliers vs. Bulls, 7:30 p.m. ET 
• Knicks vs. Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET 
• Spurs vs. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. ET 
• Rockets vs. Clippers, 8 p.m. ET 
• Pelicans vs. Nuggets, 8 p.m. ET 
• Thunder vs. Suns, 8 p.m. ET 
• Warriors vs. Grizzlies, 10 p.m. ET 
• Kings vs. Timberwolves, 10 p.m. ET

Tuesday, Nov. 19

• Celtics vs. Cavaliers, 7 p.m. ET 
• Nets vs. Hornets, 7:30 p.m. ET 
• Grizzlies vs. Nuggets, 8 p.m. ET 
• Mavericks vs. Pelicans, 8:30 p.m. ET 
• Spurs vs. Thunder, 9:30 p.m. ET 
• Lakers vs. Jazz, 10:30 p.m. ET

Friday, Nov. 22

• 76ers vs. Nets, 7 p.m. ET 
• Wizards vs. Celtics, 7 p.m. ET 
• Bucks vs. Pacers, 7:30 p.m. ET 
• Bulls vs. Hawks, 8 p.m. ET 
• Rockets vs. Trail Blazers, 8 p.m. ET 
• Pelicans vs. Warriors, 8 p.m. ET 
• Nuggets vs. Mavericks, 10 p.m. ET 
• Clippers vs. Kings, 10:30 p.m. ET

Tuesday, Nov. 26

• Wizards vs. Bulls, 7 p.m. ET 
• Heat vs. Bucks, 7:30 p.m. ET 
• Timberwolves vs. Rockets, 8 p.m. ET 
• Jazz vs. Spurs, 9 p.m. ET 
• Suns vs. Lakers, 10 p.m. ET

Friday, Nov. 29

• Hornets vs. Knicks, 12 p.m. ET 
• Hawks vs. Cavaliers, 2:30 p.m. ET 
• Grizzlies vs. Pelicans, 5 p.m. ET 
• Nets vs. Magic, 7:30 p.m. ET 
• Timberwolves vs. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. ET 
•  Pacers vs. Pistons, 8 p.m. ET 
• Heat vs. Raptors, 8 p.m. ET 
• Bulls vs. Celtics, 8 p.m. ET 
• Lakers vs. Thunder, 10 p.m. ET 
• Trail Blazers vs. Kings, 10 p.m. ET

Tuesday, Dec. 3

• Hornets vs. 76ers, 7 p.m. ET 
• Cavaliers vs. Wizards, 7 p.m. ET 
• Pistons vs. Bucks, 7 p.m. ET 
• Knicks vs. Magic, 7:30 p.m. ET 
• Raptors vs. Pacers, 7:30 p.m. ET 
• Thunder vs. Jazz, 8 p.m. ET 
• Mavericks vs. Grizzlies, 8:30 p.m. ET 
• Suns vs. Spurs, 9 p.m. ET 
• Nuggets vs. Warriors, 10 p.m. ET 
• Kings vs. Rockets, 10 p.m. ET 
• Clippers vs. Trail Blazers, 10:30 p.m. ET

2024 NBA Cup knockout schedule, bracket

The bracket will be determined after games on Dec. 3. Eight teams will make the knockout rounds: four East teams and four West teams. They will play the quarterfinals on Dec. 10 and 11 at the home courts of the higher seeds. The semifinals (Dec. 14) and finals (Dec. 17) will take place in Las Vegas.

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, Dec. 10

Wednesday, Dec. 11

Semifinals

Saturday, Dec. 14

Finals

Tuesday, Dec. 17

2024 NBA Cup groups

2024 NBA Cup odds

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of Nov. 12. Fans can take action on the NBA Cup with the latest FanDuel promo code.

• Celtics: +400
• Knicks: +950
• Timberwolves: +1000
• Cavaliers: +1000
• Thunder: +1200
• Lakers: +1600
• Mavericks: +1600
• Warriors: +1600
• Bucks: +1900
• 76ers: +1900