The third variation of the NBA’s in-season tournament is set to take place this season. This year’s tournament will begin on October 31st — several weeks earlier than the first two attempts at the competition — hopefully adding some excitement to the early games in the regular season.
Now referred to as the Emirates NBA Cup, all six groups have been decided for the upcoming competition. These were randomly drawn based on win-loss records from the 2024-25 season. Teams remain separated based on the Eastern and Western Conferences, and each team will face the other four teams in their group to decide who qualifies for the knockout rounds.
There will be plenty of ways to get in on the action on DraftKings Sportsbook, with some NBA Cup-specific markets coming soon. For the time being, here are my early predictions for which team will win their respective groups.
West Group A: Oklahoma City Thunder
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Minnesota TImberwolves
- Utah Jazz
- Sacramento Kings
- Phoenix Suns
The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder enter next season as the favorites to win the NBA Finals at +260 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. While some sort of championship hangover is due, there is just too much talent on this roster to be ignored. None of the Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings, or Phoenix Suns should be looked at as legitimate threats to take them down in the NBA Cup based on the state of each team, though the Timberwolves are a respectable opponent who will be a challenge. Still, the Thunder do not appear content after their first championship and will run it back with the same intensity and the same core that each still has individual strides to take as basketball players. Count on the Thunder to pick up right where they left off last year and have no trouble winning Group A of the Emirates NBA Cup.
The Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder
West Group B:
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Dallas Mavericks
- Memphis Grizzlies
- New Orleans Pelicans
Expect Group B to be far more competitive in the West, with a case to be made for each team. The Los Angeles Lakers won the first-ever NBA Cup two seasons ago and will have Luka Doncic on their side, hopefully in peak shape. The Clippers are coming off an impressive season last year in which Kawhi Leonard looked the healthiest he had been in a very long time. Memphis moved on from Desmond Bane, but still has plenty of talent on the roster and is just two years removed from finishing second in the Western Conference. The New Orleans Pelicans have a roster loaded with talent, but they have not had health on their side to this point.
Ultimately, I am backing the Dallas Mavericks to win Group B. It has been a nightmare past six months from a PR standpoint as the organization worked to dodge shrapnel from the Doncic trade. I expect the roster to return with a chip on their shoulder this year and Cooper Flagg on their side. Flagg is as NBA-ready as a rookie can be and playing alongside Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively, Daniel Gafford, and P.J. Washington will make it extremely difficult for any team to score on Dallas. While they are a bit limited in guard production as Kyrie Irving recovers from his injury, Dallas has dug their heels in with the mentality that defense wins championships. Expect Flagg to make the most of the early moments and for the Mavericks to take this tournament seriously. Their commitment to defense looks well beyond what is seen from most teams in the early stages of the season, so count on this bringing some positive results.
The Pick: Dallas Mavericks
West Group C:
- Houston Rockets
- Denver Nuggets
- Golden State Warriors
- San Antonio Spurs
- Portland Trail Blazers
The Houston Rockets announced their presence among contenders by taking the big swing to add Kevin Durant in the offseason. They hold the second-best championship odds at +700 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Emirates NBA Cup will be their first chance to assert themselves among the league’s best. Count on Houston to do exactly this. While they were knocked out of last year’s playoffs in the opening round by the Golden State Warriors, it was the type of postseason seasoning that this youthful roster needed. They desperately lacked a go-to scorer in crunch time and Durant can still be that guy among the best in the world. With the young core taking another step forward in the upcoming season and Durant on their side, expect Houston to get out of the gates hot and advance in the NBA Cup.
The Pick: Houston Rockets
East Group A:
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Indiana Pacers
- Atlanta Hawks
- Toronto Raptors
- Washington Wizards
The Atlanta Hawks have largely been looked at as one of the biggest winners of the offseason. They have now built arguably the best roster around Trae Young seen during this era of Hawks basketball. Through the free agent market, they added Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard while trading for Kristaps Porzingis. Atlanta continues to commit to their game plan of surrounding Young with versatile high-level defenders, with Asa Newell joining this strategy through the draft. This comes on the heels of Dyson Daniels having his breakout season in which he earned Most Improved Player and Jalen Johnson’s year being interrupted due to injury after looking to be on track for an All-Star appearance. There is quietly a lot of pressure on Trae Young this season, so I expect him and the Hawks to be determined to get off to a strong start. I like Atlanta’s chances of winning Group A and for this to be their announcement to the rest of the NBA that they must be viewed a bit more seriously moving forward.
The Pick: Atlanta Hawks
East Group B:
- Boston Celtics
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Orlando Magic
- Detroit Pistons
- Brooklyn Nets
Another aggressive team in the offseason has been the Orlando Magic. They took a big swing to trade for Desmond Bane and paid Paolo Banchero as the franchise centerpiece he is proving capable of being. The Magic went 41-41 last season despite shooting just 31.8% from beyond the three-point arc, the worst perimeter shooting percentage of any NBA team since the 2016-17 Los Angeles Lakers. Orlando has an identity established on the defensive side of the ball, and Bane’s floor spacing will be a major complement to Banchero and Franz Wagner’s ability to attack the rim. While Detroit deserves some respect in the conversation, there are too many injury questions surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics while the Nets are still early in their rebuild. Look for the Magic to be ready to make a statement and find a way to advance in Group B.
The Pick: Orlando Magic
East Group C:
- New York Knicks
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Chicago Bulls
- Miami Heat
- Charlotte Hornets
The New York Knicks likely hold the crown for the easiest path through the group stage. There are more questions than answers regarding the Milwaukee Bucks and the future of Giannis Antetokounmpo at this stage of the game. The Heat did well to add Norman Powell, but there is still some work to be done on the overall roster. Charlotte is moving in the right direction as an organization but is still young, while Chicago continues their commitment to mediocrity. The stakes will be high for New York this season as they are coming off their most successful campaign in 25 years, but they still elected to make a coaching change. Mike Brown will take the reins and the Knicks will be looking to solidify their path to winning a wide-open Eastern Conference. There will be some clear intensity that New York plays with right from the start of the season, so expect this to be evident during the Emirates Cup.
The Pick: New York Knicks
It also should be noted that there is one wild-card spot up for grabs in each conference, meaning eight teams will advance to the knockout stages. The team with the best record in each conference that did not win their group will get this wild card slot.
