The Emirates NBA Cup is an exciting addition to the regular NBA season, aiming to enhance fan engagement during the early part of the season and generate additional revenue for the league.
All 30 NBA teams will participate in the tournament, which is divided into six pools of five teams each. These pools consist of teams within the same conference, but not necessarily the same division.
Each team plays four group games, facing every team in their pool once, with the winners progressing to a single-elimination stage.
Does the NBA in-season tournament count towards regular season?
Initially, each team will have 80 games on their regular-season schedule. Teams not advancing to the elimination games in the tournament will play two additional games.
The two teams that make it to the championship game will have played a total of 83 regular-season games.
Importantly, statistics from tournament games count towards regular season totals, except for the championship game.
The tournament kicks off on November 12, culminating in the championship game on December 17, with the “Final Four” taking place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Players on the championship team receive a 500,000 dollar bonus, and their team wins the new NBA Cup.
The tournament also features a Most Valuable Player award and an all-tournament team.
Teams were randomly grouped into six pools based on their previous regular-season records.
From November 12 to December 3, teams play group matches across seven designated “Cup Nights.” Eight teams will advance to the knockout rounds.
The knockout rounds will involve the six teams with the best standing in their groups and two “wild card” teams – one from each conference.
Tiebreakers for group placement are determined by factors such as head-to-head records, point differentials, and total points scored.
The knockout rounds are single-elimination games scheduled for December 10 and 11, held at the higher-seeded team’s venue.
The winners from these games progress to the semi-finals on December 14, culminating with the final on December 17, where the NBA Cup is awarded.
