The NBA Cup enters its final week of group play, with 26 teams vying for the remaining seven spots in the knockout stage. The Raptors have already clinched Group A in the East, while the Lakers can secure their advancement with a win over the Clippers. Twenty-three games are scheduled across Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday to determine the qualifiers.
As the NBA Cup 2025 tournament reaches its decisive phase, only the Raptors have locked in a knockout stage berth by clinching East Group A. The Pacers have been eliminated in that group, leaving the Cavaliers, Hawks and Wizards chasing wild-card opportunities. In Group B, either the Pistons or Magic will claim the top spot, with the Nets, Celtics and 76ers still alive for wild cards. Group C remains wide open among the Bucks, Heat and Knicks, while the Bulls and Hornets eye wild-card spots.
Tiebreakers in the East include the Bucks holding an edge over the Bulls, the Heat over the Bulls, the Knicks over the Heat, and the Bulls over the Knicks. Key games include Hawks at Wizards on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, where a Wizards loss eliminates them; Magic at 76ers on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, with a 76ers defeat ending their run; Knicks at Hornets on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET; Bucks at Heat on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET; and several Friday matchups like Cavaliers at Hawks, Wizards at Pacers, 76ers at Nets and Magic at Pistons, all at 7:30 p.m. ET.
In the West, Group A sees the Thunder, Suns or Timberwolves battling for the win, with the Jazz out and the Kings pursuing a wild card. The Suns hold the tiebreaker over the Timberwolves. Group B features a tight race among the Lakers, Clippers and Grizzlies, Pelicans eliminated and Mavericks in wild-card contention; the Lakers own the tiebreaker over the Grizzlies and clinch the group with a Tuesday win over the Clippers at 11 p.m. ET. Group C involves the Blazers, Nuggets or Spurs for the top, with Rockets and Warriors in wild cards. Tiebreakers favor the Blazers over Nuggets and Warriors, Nuggets over Rockets, Spurs over Rockets, Rockets over Blazers, and Warriors over Spurs.
Western schedule highlights include Timberwolves at Thunder and Suns at Kings on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET, respectively; Clippers at Lakers on Tuesday; Grizzlies at Pelicans on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET; and Friday games like Suns at Thunder, Kings at Jazz, Mavericks at Lakers and Grizzlies at Clippers, mostly at 10 p.m. ET or later. Other Wednesday contests are Rockets at Warriors and Spurs at Trail Blazers, both at 10 p.m. ET, plus Spurs at Nuggets on Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The eight advancing teams will enter a single-elimination knockout stage, with quarterfinals on Dec. 9 and 10 at home arenas for higher seeds, semifinals and final on Dec. 13 and 16 in Las Vegas. Participants earn prize money, while non-qualifiers play two regular-season games.