NBA Cup 2026 explained: schedule, standings, bracket, prize money and how to bet on the Emirates NBA Cup
The 2026 Emirates NBA Cup is two Cup Nights into group play. The groups, the standings so far, how the eight-team bracket is decided, the prize money, the move of the final to Indianapolis, and what Kalshi prices: San Antonio and Boston lead the title market, and the Celtics, Timberwolves and Mavericks are 2-0.
In this article
The NBA's in-season tournament is back for its fourth year. The 2026 Emirates NBA Cup began on 30 October, and after two Cup Nights, three teams are unbeaten in group play: the Boston Celtics, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Dallas Mavericks, all 2-0.
The final will be played on Friday 11 December at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the first time it has been held outside Las Vegas. This guide covers the format, the groups and standings, the bracket, the prize money and how the prediction markets price it, as of 8 November 2026.
How the NBA Cup works
- 30 teams, six groups. Each conference is split into three groups of five.
- Group play. Each team plays the other four teams in its group once, on Cup Nights between 30 October and 27 November. These games also count in the regular-season standings.
- Eight teams advance. The six group winners and two wild cards, one per conference, chosen as the best second-placed team in each.
- Single elimination. The knockout rounds begin in early December. Quarter-finals and semi-finals are played in NBA arenas and count toward the regular season; the final, at Hinkle Fieldhouse, does not.
If teams finish level in a group, the NBA's tiebreakers start with head-to-head results, then point differential in group games, then total points scored, then the previous season's record. Point differential matters, so margins in Cup games count for more than in an ordinary regular-season game.
The groups
| Group | Teams |
|---|---|
| East A | Detroit, Orlando, Toronto, Milwaukee, Brooklyn |
| East B | Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia, New York, Indiana |
| East C | Boston, Atlanta, Washington, Chicago, Charlotte |
| West A | Dallas, Denver, Houston, Phoenix, Utah |
| West B | Minnesota, Oklahoma City, Memphis, LA Clippers, New Orleans |
| West C | Golden State, San Antonio, LA Lakers, Portland, Sacramento |
Source: Kalshi group-winner markets; NBA schedule.
Standings after two Cup Nights
Source: ESPN game results tagged “NBA Cup – Group Play”; our tally
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| Value | |
|---|---|
| Boston (2-0) | 53 |
| Minnesota (2-0) | 32 |
| Oklahoma City (1-0) | 31 |
| Cleveland (1-0) | 24 |
| Miami (1-0) | 20 |
| Dallas (2-0) | 17 |
| Golden State (1-0) | 17 |
| Detroit (1-0) | 16 |
| San Antonio (1-0) | 15 |
| Group | Leader | Record | Points +/- | Chasing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East A | Detroit | 1-0 | +16 | Orlando 1-0 (+7), Toronto 1-1 (+7) |
| East B | Cleveland | 1-0 | +24 | Miami 1-0 (+20), Philadelphia 1-1 (-19) |
| East C | Boston | 2-0 | +53 | Atlanta 1-0 (+7), Washington 1-1 (+9) |
| West A | Dallas | 2-0 | +17 | Denver 1-0 (+7) |
| West B | Minnesota | 2-0 | +32 | Oklahoma City 1-0 (+31) |
| West C | Golden State | 1-0 | +17 | San Antonio 1-0 (+15), LA Lakers 1-1 (-11) |
Group games only. Source: ESPN results; our tally.
Boston has been the most dominant team so far, beating Chicago 125-111 and Charlotte 119-80. Minnesota beat the Clippers 127-101 and New Orleans 115-109, and Dallas beat Houston 116-111 and Utah 112-100. Oklahoma City opened with a 128-97 win over Memphis.
What the prediction markets say
Source: Kalshi market data: KXNBACUP-26
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| Value | |
|---|---|
| San Antonio | 20.0% |
| Boston | 17.0% |
| Oklahoma City | 13.5% |
| Detroit | 7.5% |
| Golden State | 7.0% |
| Minnesota | 6.5% |
| Denver | 5.5% |
| Philadelphia | 4.5% |
Kalshi's champion market makes San Antonio a narrow favourite at about 20%, ahead of Boston at about 17% and Oklahoma City at about 13.5%. The Spurs lost last year's final to the Knicks; the Thunder won the 2025 NBA title. No other team is above 8%.
Kalshi also lists a market on each group's winner. On 8 November the group favourites were Boston in East C (about 64%), Oklahoma City in West B (about 57%), San Antonio in West C (about 58%), Detroit in East A (about 45%), Cleveland in East B (about 38%) and a three-way race in West A between Denver, Dallas and Houston. Polymarket lists a Cup winner market too, but it is thin, with spreads of several cents on most teams.
Live prices: Kalshi's NBA Cup market and Polymarket's.
The bracket
The eight qualifiers are seeded within each conference: the three group winners take seeds 1 to 3 by record and the wild card is seed 4. In the quarter-finals, seed 1 hosts seed 4 and seed 2 hosts seed 3. The two quarter-final winners in each conference meet in a semi-final, also in an NBA arena, and the two conference champions play for the Cup in Indianapolis.
That structure is why a group title is worth so much: it guarantees a home quarter-final. A wild card has to go on the road.
Prize money
Last year's NBA Cup paid $530,933 per player to the champions, $212,373 to the runners-up, $106,187 to semi-final losers and $53,093 to quarter-final losers, according to a bet365 preview, which lists the same figures for this year's tournament. The league ties increases to basketball-related income, so treat the 2026 amounts as a guide until the NBA publishes them.
For players on minimum or rookie contracts, a Cup title can be worth a large share of a season's salary, which is one reason the tournament has been played with genuine intensity.
How to bet on the NBA Cup
There are three main ways to trade it:
- The champion market. A single contract per team that pays $1 if it wins the Cup final on 11 December. Prices move most at the end of group play and in the knockout rounds.
- Group-winner markets. One per group, settling after the last Cup Night on 27 November. These reward a view on four games, not a month of basketball.
- Game markets. Every Cup game is also a regular-season game with its own markets on the winner, spread and total. Point differential matters in group play, so late-game margins can differ from what a normal regular-season game would produce.
A few practical points:
- Read the tiebreakers. In a five-team group, point differential often decides the winner.
- Watch the wild card. The best second-placed team in each conference advances, so a team that loses its group can still go through.
- Thin markets. NBA Cup markets are far smaller than the NBA championship market. Use limit orders, and expect wide spreads on long shots.
How NBA markets work more broadly: how to bet on the NBA. The season-long title race: NBA championship odds.
Key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 30 October | Group play began |
| 27 November | Last Cup Night of group play |
| Early December | Quarter-finals and semi-finals in NBA arenas |
| 11 December | Final at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis |
Sources: NBA; ESPN.
Past NBA Cup winners
| Year | Champion | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Los Angeles Lakers | Indiana Pacers |
| 2024 | Milwaukee Bucks | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2025 | New York Knicks | San Antonio Spurs |
Source: NBA.
How the markets priced last year's Cup
Kalshi's 2025 NBA Cup market traded about 23 million contracts. On 1 November 2025, Oklahoma City led at about 35%, and the Knicks were priced at only about 3%. By 9 December, the Thunder were the favourite at about 55%, with the Knicks at 23% after reaching the knockout rounds. Oklahoma City then lost its semi-final to San Antonio, and the final opened with the Knicks at about 56% and the Spurs at about 46%. New York won.
The lesson for this year is the same as for most futures markets: the early favourite often does not win, and the biggest moves come in the knockout rounds, which are single games.
Trading the group stage
Group-winner markets settle within a few weeks and turn on four games, which makes them very different from the champion market:
- Every game matters. One loss can drop a group favourite from 60% to 30%, especially if a rival wins by a big margin.
- Point differential is visible. Unlike most futures, you can see the tiebreaker building game by game. A team that wins big early has a cushion if the group finishes in a three-way tie.
- Schedules are uneven. Teams play their four group games on different nights, so at any moment some teams have played more games than others. Compare records game for game.
In East C, for example, Boston is 2-0 with a point differential of +53, and Kalshi prices it at about 64% to win the group. Atlanta is 1-0 and Washington 1-1, and both are well behind on point differential. In West A, Dallas is 2-0 but the market still treats Denver as the slight favourite, at about 42%, a reflection of the teams' relative strength over the rest of group play.
Because the champion market pays only on the final, a trader who wants exposure to a team's run without waiting until 11 December can combine a group-winner position with a later sale of a champion contract once the bracket is set.
Whatever the approach, keep positions small: NBA Cup markets are a fraction of the size of the main NBA championship markets.
Group play resumes with the next Cup Nights this week.
Key points
- Format: six groups of five; six group winners and two wild cards reach a single-elimination bracket.
- So far: Boston, Minnesota and Dallas are 2-0 in group play; Boston is +53.
- Markets: San Antonio (about 20%), Boston (about 17%) and Oklahoma City (about 13.5%) lead Kalshi's champion market.
- Final: Friday 11 December at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the first outside Las Vegas.
- Prize money: last year, $530,933 per player for the champions.
FAQ
When is the 2026 NBA Cup final? Friday 11 December 2026, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Who won the 2025 NBA Cup? The New York Knicks, who beat the San Antonio Spurs in the final.
How do teams qualify for the knockout rounds? By winning their group, or as the best second-placed team in their conference.
Who is favoured to win the 2026 NBA Cup? San Antonio, narrowly, at about 20% on Kalshi on 8 November 2026, ahead of Boston and Oklahoma City.
Do NBA Cup games count in the standings? Group games, quarter-finals and semi-finals do; the final does not.
Standings after games of 6 November; prices as of the morning of 8 November 2026. Sources: NBA; ESPN; bet365; Kalshi and Polymarket market data. Not betting advice.
