Oct 29, 2025
·Max Meyer
It’s just the second week of the 2025-26 NBA season, but the action is about to get ramped up with the start of the NBA Cup on Friday, Oct. 31. The NBA Cup is the league’s in-season tournament, with all 30 teams competing for a cash prize and a trophy to give more incentive to the regular season. The NBA Cup debuted in the 2023-24 season, with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the inaugural tournament and the Milwaukee Bucks taking home last season’s edition.
Here’s what you need to know about the third NBA Cup, including the rules, schedule and how to get tickets.
NBA Cup format
All 30 NBA teams have been divided into six different groups based on conference and win-loss records from the 2024-25 regular season. The first stage of the NBA Cup is group play, where each team will play the four other teams in their group once (with two games at home and two on the road).
The top team from each group will advance to the knockout round, as well as the team with the next-best record from each conference (for a total of eight teams). If multiple teams are tied with the same record, tiebreakers such as head-to-head record and point differential will be used to determine who advances.
The final eight teams will then compete in the knockout round stages, with the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship all serving as single-elimination battles. The 2025 NBA Cup semifinals and championship will be held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The players on the winning team of the NBA Cup championship will each receive a cash prize of over $500,000, while the team will be awarded the NBA Cup trophy.
All NBA Cup games count toward teams’ regular-season records and players’ statistics except for the championship.
2025 NBA Cup schedule
Group Play Cup Nights
Friday, Oct. 31 Friday, Nov. 7 Friday, Nov. 14 Friday, Nov. 21 Tuesday, Nov. 25 Wednesday, Nov. 26 Friday, Nov. 28
Knockout Rounds
Quarterfinals Tuesday, Dec. 9 Wednesday, Dec. 10
Semifinals (in Las Vegas) Saturday, Dec. 13
Championship (in Las Vegas) Tuesday, Dec. 16
2025 NBA Cup groups
East A Atlanta Hawks Cleveland Cavaliers Indiana Pacers Toronto Raptors Washington Wizards
East B Boston Celtics Brooklyn Nets Detroit Pistons Orlando Magic Philadelphia 76ers
East C Charlotte Hornets Chicago Bulls Miami Heat Milwaukee Bucks New York Knicks
West A Minnesota Timberwolves Oklahoma City Thunder Phoenix Suns Sacramento Kings Utah Jazz
West B Dallas Mavericks Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Lakers Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Pelicans
West C Denver Nuggets Golden State Rockets Houston Rockets Portland Trail Blazers San Antonio Spurs
How to get NBA Cup tickets on SeatGeek
SeatGeek makes it easy to find NBA Cup games and buy tickets. Here is a step-by-step guide if you are interested in checking out an NBA Cup game.
1. Go to SeatGeek’s NBA Cup page
Every 2025 NBA Cup game is available on SeatGeek’s NBA Cup Tickets page. That page also lists all details for parking passes and venues.
2. Find the specific game you want
You are able to filter by location and date to find the ideal NBA Cup games that you want to attend. For location, you can either type in the city of your favorite team to see their NBA Cup games or enter Las Vegas if you want to attend the NBA Cup semifinals or championship contests.
3. Filter and sort to narrow ticket results
Use filters for price range, number of tickets, section, row and delivery type. SeatGeek’s Deal Score highlights high-value listings so you can compare options quickly.4. Check the seat map and seat view
Click a listing to open the seat map and (when available) a seat-view preview so you can see what the court looks like from those seats before you buy.
5. Purchase your tickets
Once you find the seats you want to buy, you'll be taken to checkout, where you enter your contact, payment and shipping information. You'll then receive an email once your order is confirmed and another one once your tickets are delivered.
Overall, our Buyer Guarantee and transparent pricing makes SeatGeek one of the most trustworthy and fan-friendly ways to buy 2025 NBA Cup tickets.