Along with the group and knockout rounds schedule, the official group draws for the 2024 NBA Cup have been revealed.
When it was announced that the NBA was going to introduce an in-season Tournament, there was some natural hesitance from the basketball community. However, it added another intriguing layer to the regular season that was embraced by most fans. In its second season of existence, you'd have to imagine that's only going to further be the case this year.
The Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural NBA Cup last season and in anticipation of the new tournament, the NBA has already revealed the group draws and schedule for this year's tournament.
The group draws for the 2024 NBA Cup
Here are the official group draws for the 2024 NBA Cup:
East Group A - Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers
West Group A - LA Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers
East Group B - Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors
West Group B - Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder
East Group C - Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards
West Group C - Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors
The groups were based on last year's standings in which teams were then split into five based on their records. All group play begins November 12, when the NBA Cup officially tips off.
2024 NBA Cup schedule
Here is the official schedule for the NBA Cup:
Group play: November 12, 19, 26, and December 3 (Tuesdays); November 15, 22, and 29 (Fridays)
Knockout rounds: Quarterfinals (December 10-11); Semifinals (December 14); Championship (December 17)
(*Semifinals and championship will be hosted in Las Vegas)
The official schedule for the 2024-25 NBA season will be released later in the summer but the NBA Cup schedule does give us a bit of insight into what we can expect once the full schedule is released. In its second full season, it'll be interesting to see how the NBA Cup is received after the excitement that it brought into the early season last year.
Now that it's in its second season, there will be even more storylines. Can the Lakers repeat as Cup champions? Will teams that it more seriously? Will the Boston Celtics continue their dominance?