The 2024-25 NBA season is underway, and with it comes the start of the second-annual In-Season Tournament, branded this year as the Emirates NBA Cup.
All 30 teams are set to participate in the it with the Los Angeles Lakers looking to defend their crown after winning the inaugural edition of the tourney last year.
How It Works
On Tuesdays and Fridays from Nov. 12 to Dec. 3, each team will play the other four teams in their group (three groups of five per conference). At the end of group play, the teams with the best records in their group plus a wild card from each conference will advance to the knockout round in December. These games are single-elimination with the semifinals and finals taking place on Dec. 14 and Dec. 17, respectively, at T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas.
Results from the NBA Cup games will count toward teams’ regular season record. For teams that do no qualify for the knockout round, they will play on the days after the quarterfinals and semifinal games.
Every team will play the full 82-game schedule, though some teams will play an extra home or away game and the teams that make it to the championship of the tournament will play 83. That 83rd game does not count towards their regular season record, however.
What’s At Stake
The eight teams that advance to the knockout stage are guaranteed at least $51,497 for each player. The prize money grows with each round that teams make it to and has increased slightly since last season. Semifinalists will win $102,994, the runner-up of the tournament will win $205,998 and the winners will take home $514,970. Coaches of each organization will also make the same money as well.
The tournament will also name an MVP as well as all-tournament honors.
Groupings
The 15 teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences were grouped with teams in the same conference. Teams were distributed based on their 2023-24 regular season records. The top-three teams were separated into different groups, as well as the bottom-three teams.
For the Lakers, they are in West Group B along with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs.
Schedule
Group play for the Emirates NBA Cup began on Nov. 12 and will go on for five weeks. Following group play, the eight teams that advance will play in a knockout round and the semifinals and finals will be held on Dec. 14 and Dec. 17.
The Lakers’ first game of group play will be on Friday, Nov. 15 against the Spurs, followed by a game against the Jazz on Tuesday, Nov. 19. They then finish up group play against the Suns on Tuesday, Nov. 26 and the Thunder on Friday, Nov. 29.
Emirates NBA Cup Courts
With the new tournament comes new customized courts for all 30 teams. The new courts are designed with the primary team colors and feature the Emirates NBA Cup trophy at center court.
The Lakers’ court is adorned in all gold with yellow covering midcourt and purple on the sidelines and baselines.
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