NBA Announces 2025 Emirates Cup Groups Including Lakers, Grizzlies, Mavericks, Clippers

The 2025 Emirates NBA Cup, the third annual in-season tournament, will feature all 30 NBA teams divided into six groups based on their 2024-25 regular season records, with the group stage running from October 31 through November 28. The Los Angeles Lakers are placed in West Group B alongside the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, and New Orleans Pelicans, a competitive group with several strong teams aiming for a deep run. The Grizzlies, who missed advancing past the group stage last season, will host the Lakers and Mavericks while traveling to face the Pelicans and Clippers. The tournament format remains unchanged: each team plays four group-stage games during designated 'Cup Nights,' with the six group winners plus two wild cards advancing to the knockout rounds, which begin with quarterfinals on December 9-10, followed by semifinals and the championship held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All knockout games will be broadcast on Amazon Prime, marking the league's new broadcast partnership for the event. This format continues to blend excitement into the early regular season, with nearly all Cup games also counting toward regular-season standings except the championship game.