Starting 5, Aug. 14: Inside the Emirates NBA Cup 2024 schedule
Coming soon to a TV near you… the Emirates NBA Cup 2024 schedule is set.
THE LINEUP
What’s inside today’s edition?
The Schedule: The Emirates NBA Cup 2024 Group Play schedule dropped Tuesday
The Stakes: Teams won’t just be competing to win the second in-season competition …
East Marquee Matchups: Three must-see Group Play matchups in the East
West Marquee Matchups: Three must-see Group Play showdowns out West
Assist Week In GIFs: Some of our favorite dimes from the 2023-24 season in GIFs
BUT FIRST … ⏰
More big news is coming Thursday …
Get a first look at your team’s road to the Playoffs.
The full 2024-25 NBA Schedule will be unveiled Thursday at 3 ET on ESPN.
1. EMIRATES NBA CUP 2024 SCHEDULE RELEASED
The 60-game Group Play slate for the Emirates NBA Cup 2024 — the league’s second annual in-season competition — was officially unveiled Tuesday.
Before we break down the schedule and highlight some marquee matchups, brush up on some key Emirates NBA Cup details below.
- How It Works: The Emirates NBA Cup explained by Michael Imperioli and Rosario Dawson
- Full Schedule: Every Group Play game for every team in one spot
- Emirates NBA Cup FAQ: Answering frequently asked questions about the Emirates NBA Cup
- Emirates NBA Cup 101: Groups, rules, format and more
- Tuesday’s Starting 5: Everything you need to know about the Emirates NBA Cup
2. EMIRATES NBA CUP: WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Thirty teams. Six groups. One Emirates NBA Cup champion.
The stage is set for the league’s second annual in-season competition, which is just 90 days away.
- Nov. 12: Group Play begins
- Dec. 3: Group Play ends
- Dec. 10-11: Quarterfinals
- Dec. 14: Semifinals (T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV)
- Dec. 17: Championship (T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV)
Starting November 12, and continuing through Dec. 3, each team will play four designated Group Play games on “Cup Nights” – one game against each opponent in its group.
The six group winners, plus two wild-card teams, will then advance to the Knockout Rounds, which begin Dec. 10 and culminate with the Championship on Dec. 17 in Las Vegas, where a team will hoist the NBA Cup for just the second time.
And the league’s newest hardware isn’t the only thing at stake.
- Regular-Season Standings: All 67 games across both Group Play and the Knockout Rounds of the Emirates NBA Cup will count toward the regular-season standings except the Championship
- League Honors: Following the Championship, a media panel will select the NBA Cup MVP and All-Tournament Team. Selections will be based on players’ performances in both Group Play and the Knockout Rounds
- Prize Pool: A prize pool will be allocated to the players on the teams that participate in the Knockout Rounds, with allocations increasing depending on how far a team progresses in the competition
3. EAST GROUP PLAY MUST-SEE MATCHUPS
With the Emirates NBA Cup Group Play schedule released today, we have 60 matchups set for the 2024-25 NBA season.
Below are six matchups to circle on your calendar – one game from each of the six groups, starting with the East – including some Playoff rematches, NBA Cup rematches and All-Stars facing former teams. See more marquee Group Play games here.
Knicks vs. 76ers: Tuesday, Nov. 12 (7:30 ET, TNT)
- These teams staged an instant classic first-round matchup in the 2024 Playoffs – with the Knicks having a larger margin in wins (4-2) than they did total points (650-649)
- Jalen Brunson averaged 41.8 points over the final four games, Joel Embiid dropped a 50-piece while fighting through injury and Tyrese Maxey scored seven points in 25 seconds to force OT and eventually a Game 6, temporarily extending Philly’s season
- The only thing this series didn’t give fans was a Game 7. And now we get a new chapter to add with an Emirates NBA Cup matchup
Bucks vs. Pacers: Friday, Nov. 22 (7:30 ET, ESPN)
- This matchup gave us 11 meetings last year between the regular season (4-1 Pacers, including the NBA Cup semifinals) and Playoffs (4-2 Pacers in the First Round to end the Bucks’ season)
- During those 11 games, Giannis Antetokounmpo posted two of the last season’s top eight scoring performances: 54 points and a career-best 64 points
- Tyrese Haliburton mimicked Damian Lillard’s signature “Dame Time” celebration after a clutch bucket to seal Indy’s win in the NBA Cup semifinal
Celtics vs Cavaliers: Tuesday, Nov. 19 (7 ET, TNT)
- Boston’s run to championship No. 18 included an Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup with Cleveland. It was the first time the two teams had met in the Playoffs since 2018, the final season of LeBron’s second run in Cleveland
- After the Cavs ended the Celtics’ season in 2015, 2017 and 2018, Boston prevailed in five games with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combining to average 50.2 ppg
- The Cavs locked up Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley with extensions as they get ready for another playoff run to try to knock the Celtics off the perch
- And don’t forget their matchup last March when Dean Wade drained five 3s and scored 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavs stunned Boston
4. WEST GROUP PLAY MUST-SEE MATCHUPS
Our look at the key Group Play matchups continues in the West with three more must-see games.
Timberwolves vs. Clippers: Friday, Nov. 29 (7:30 ET, ESPN)
- The regular season wound down with four teams embroiled in a back-and-forth battle for the top seed in the Western Conference: the Thunder, Nuggets, Timberwolves and Clippers, who finished in that order
- The Wolves won the season series with the Clippers, 3-1, and two of the games were decided by four points or less
- LA will look a bit different following the departure of Paul George, also debuting a new logo, new uniforms and a new arena
- The Wolves, however, are running it back with the same core that helped them reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years
Thunder vs. Spurs: Tuesday, Nov. 19 (9:30 ET, TNT)
- Welcome to season two of Victor Wembanyama vs. Chet Holmgren. The talented young big men finished one and two in last year’s race for Kia Rookie of the Year
- While Wemby earned the award unanimously, it was Chet who finished with a 2-1 edge in head-to-head matchups
- Holmgren and the Thunder finished first in the West last season, while Wembanyama enters his sophomore season looking to lead the Spurs up the standings after a 22-60 debut
Mavericks vs. Warriors: Tuesday, Nov. 12 (10 ET, TNT)
- In one of the biggest moves of the offseason, Klay Thompson left Golden State in a sign-and-trade deal with Dallas
- After 11 years and four championships with Steph Curry, Draymond Green and the Warriors, Thompson starts a new chapter with Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the Mavs
- The Emirates NBA Cup will provide a stage for the first Klay-Warriors reunion game
- After watching the Splash Bros rain 3s on opponents for more than a decade, now we get to see them do so against one another
5. ASSIST WEEK IN GIFS
It’s Assist Week in the NBA, meaning we’re focusing on all things dimes, from last year’s top assist duos to the league’s leading lob artists.
Relive some of our favorite helpers from the 2023-24 season below and see more pocket passes here.
We begin with DeMar DeRozan’s Assist of the Year…
Nikola Jokic is no stranger to highlight helpers himself.
Another big man BTB dime, this time from Domantas Sabonis to Keegan Murray.
The only duo with more assists than Sabonis to Murray (186) in the 2023-24 regular season was Tyrese Haliburton to Myles Turner (215).
In third place? LeBron James to Anthony Davis, with 173.
Speaking of superstars… How about Giannis Antetokounmpo showing off the arm with this full-court seed?
Or Luka Doncic threading the needle with a no-look behind-the-back dish.
Another no-look BTB, this time from Trae Young for a wide-open triple.
And lastly, Jokic again. Because… how?!
