National Basketball Association

2024 Emirates NBA Cup: What is it, groups, format, prize

Updated Jul. 12, 2024 12:11 p.m. ET

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The Emirates NBA Cup (formerly the NBA In-Season Tournament) is back for year 2. Check out the complete details for the tournament, including groups, format and more.

What is the Emirates NBA Cup?

The Emirates NBA Cup is a tournament that will take place during the regular season and feature all 30 NBA teams competing for a championship title. The goal is to provide additional excitement and engagement for fans, especially during the early part of the regular season which has suffered in recent years, as well as create new revenue streams for the league. In the first year, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers in the finals.

What's the Emirates NBA Cup format?

The tournament will be divided into six pools with five teams apiece, and pools will consist of teams within the same conference, but not necessarily the same division. Teams will play four group games, matching up with each team in their pool once, with winners advancing to a single-elimination stage.

Eight teams advance to the knockout rounds: the six group winners and two wild card teams. Knockout rounds consist of single-elimination games.

Each squad will have 80 games on their initial regular-season schedule, while those who don't qualify for elimination games in the tournament will have two more games added. The two teams who compete for the championship will play 83 total regular-season games. In addition, statistics for the games will count towards regular season totals, aside from the championship game.

When is the Emirates NBA Cup?

The tournament begins on Nov. 12, with the championship game coming on Dec. 17. The "Final Four" will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Dec. 14.

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How are groups determined?

Before group play begins, a group play draw will take place on Friday, July 12. Each team was placed into a "pot" based on its record from the prior regular season (2023-24). In each conference, one team from each pot was randomly selected into each of the three groups in that conference.

Pot 1 has the teams with the three best prior-season records in a conference. Pot 2 has the teams with the 4th-6th best records in a conference. This three-group system continues until all 5 Pots are full. 

Emirates NBA Cup Tiebreaker Rules

1. Head-to-head record in group stage
2. Point Differential in group stage
3. Total Points in group stage
4. Prior Season's Regular Season record

Emirates NBA Cup Prize

The prize money will be given to players on the teams who make the Knockout Rounds, with the prizes increasing the further a team goes.

There will also be a Most Valuable Player award selected by the media and an all-tournament team. Selection will be based on the players’ performance in both Group Play and the Knockout Rounds.

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