July 09, 2025
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
The third annual NBA Cup is starting a bit earlier than usual.
The NBA announced on Wednesday afternoon that the third annual Emirates NBA Cup will begin on Oct. 31, a start that is several weeks earlier than the first two forms of the in-season tournament, which began in the middle of December last year.
The league also revealed the three groups for each conference, which were drawn at random.
The Sixers will make up Eastern Conference Group B alongside the Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets.
In each conference, teams participate in Group Play, with three group winners and one wild card on each side emerging for an eight-team, single-elimination tournament that culminates with the semifinal games and the final contest in Las Vegas. All NBA Cup games count for the regular season except for the championship game.
The NBA also unveiled the upcoming matchups for Group Play, which is the first glimpse at each team's 2025-26 regular season schedule, although no dates have been attached yet.
The Sixers will host their Group Play games against Boston and Orlando, and will be on the road for their battles against Detroit and Brooklyn:
Group Play games in the Emirates NBA Cup 2025 will take place on "Cup Nights" from Oct. 31 – Nov. 28.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) July 9, 2025
Each team will play one game against each of the four opponents in its group.
The six group winners and one wild card from each conference will advance to the… pic.twitter.com/KWFelLAeFN
Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice
