Emirates NBA Cup 2024 Schedule Revealed: Starting 5 Games on Aug. 14

``` Coming soon to a TV near you… the Emirates NBA Cup 2024 schedule is set. Stay tuned for more details on the exciting lineup! ```

THE LINEUP

What’s inside today’s edition?

The Schedule: The Emirates NBA Cup 2024 Group Play schedule dropped Tuesday

The Stakes: Teams won’t just be competing to win the second in-season competition …

East Marquee Matchups: Three must-see Group Play matchups in the East

West Marquee Matchups: Three must-see Group Play showdowns out West

Assist Week In GIFs: Some of our favorite dimes from the 2023-24 season in GIFs

BUT FIRST … ⏰

More big news is coming Thursday …

Get a first look at your team’s road to the Playoffs.

The full 2024-25 NBA Schedule will be unveiled Thursday at 3 ET on ESPN.

1. EMIRATES NBA CUP 2024 SCHEDULE RELEASED

The 60-game Group Play slate for the Emirates NBA Cup 2024 — the league’s second annual in-season competition — was officially unveiled Tuesday.

Before we break down the schedule and highlight some marquee matchups, brush up on some key Emirates NBA Cup details below.

How It Works: The Emirates NBA Cup explained by Michael Imperioli and Rosario DawsonFull Schedule: Every Group Play game for every team in one spotEmirates NBA Cup FAQ: Answering frequently asked questions about the Emirates NBA CupEmirates NBA Cup 101: Groups, rules, format and moreTuesday’s Starting 5:

Everything you need to know about the Emirates NBA Cup

2. EMIRATES NBA CUP: WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Thirty teams. Six groups. One Emirates NBA Cup champion.

The stage is set for the league’s second annual in-season competition, which is just 90 days away.

Nov. 12: Group Play beginsDec. 3: Group Play endsDec. 10-11: QuarterfinalsDec. 14: Semifinals (T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV)Dec. 17:

Championship (T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV)

Starting November 12, and continuing through Dec. 3, each team will play four designated Group Play games on “Cup Nights” – one game against each opponent in its group.

The six group winners, plus two wild-card teams, will then advance to the Knockout Rounds, which begin Dec. 10 and culminate with the Championship on Dec. 17 in Las Vegas, where a team will hoist the NBA Cup for just the second time.

And the league’s newest hardware isn’t the only thing at stake.

Regular-Season Standings: All 67 games across both Group Play and the Knockout Rounds of the Emirates NBA Cup will count toward the regular-season standings except the ChampionshipLeague Honors: Following the Championship, a media panel will select the NBA Cup MVP and All-Tournament Team. Selections will be based on players’ performances in both Group Play and the Knockout RoundsPrize Pool:

A prize pool will be allocated to the players on the teams that participate in the Knockout Rounds, with allocations increasing depending on how far a team progresses in the competition

3. EAST GROUP PLAY MUST-SEE MATCHUPS

With the Emirates NBA Cup Group Play schedule released today, we have 60 matchups set for the 2024-25 NBA season.

Below are six matchups to circle on your calendar – one game from each of the six groups, starting with the East – including some Playoff rematches, NBA Cup rematches and All-Stars facing former teams. See more marquee Group Play games here.

Knicks vs. 76ers: Tuesday, Nov. 12 (7:30 ET, TNT)

These teams staged an instant classic first-round matchup in the 2024 Playoffs – with the Knicks having a larger margin in wins (4-2) than they did total points (650-649)Jalen Brunson averaged 41.8 points over the final four games, Joel Embiid dropped a 50-piece while fighting through injury and Tyrese Maxey scored seven points in 25 seconds to force OT and eventually a Game 6, temporarily extending Philly’s seasonThe only thing this series didn’t give fans was a Game 7.

And now we get a new chapter to add with an Emirates NBA Cup matchup

Bucks vs. Pacers: Friday, Nov. 22 (7:30 ET, ESPN)

This matchup gave us 11 meetings last year between the regular season (4-1 Pacers, including the NBA Cup semifinals) and Playoffs (4-2 Pacers in the First Round to end the Bucks’ season)During those 11 games, Giannis Antetokounmpo posted two of the last season’s top eight scoring performances: 54 points and a career-best 64 pointsTyrese Haliburton

mimicked Damian Lillard’s signature “Dame Time” celebration after a

clutch bucket

to seal Indy’s win in the NBA Cup semifinal

Celtics vs Cavaliers: Tuesday, Nov. 19 (7 ET, TNT)

Boston’s run to championship No. 18 included an Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup with Cleveland. It was the first time the two teams had met in the Playoffs since 2018, the final season of LeBron’s second run in ClevelandAfter the Cavs ended the Celtics’ season in 2015, 2017 and 2018, Boston prevailed in five games with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combining to average 50.2 ppgThe Cavs locked up Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley with extensions as they get ready for another playoff run to try to knock the Celtics off the perchAnd don’t forget their matchup last March

when Dean Wade drained five 3s and scored

20 points in the fourth quarter

as the Cavs stunned Boston

4. WEST GROUP PLAY MUST-SEE MATCHUPS

Our look at the key Group Play matchups continues in the West with three more must-see games.

Timberwolves vs. Clippers: Friday, Nov. 29 (7:30 ET, ESPN)

The regular season wound down with four teams embroiled in a back-and-forth battle for the top seed in the Western Conference: the Thunder, Nuggets, Timberwolves and Clippers, who finished in that orderThe Wolves won the season series with the Clippers, 3-1, and two of the games were decided by four points or lessLA will look a bit different following the departure of Paul George, also debuting a new logo, new uniforms and a new arenaThe Wolves, however, are running it back

with the same core that helped them reach

the Western Conference Finals

for the first time in 20 years

Thunder vs. Spurs: Tuesday, Nov. 19 (9:30 ET, TNT)

Welcome to season two of Victor Wembanyama vs. Chet Holmgren. The talented young big men finished one and two in last year’s race for Kia Rookie of the YearWhile Wemby earned the award unanimously, it was Chet who finished with a 2-1 edge in head-to-head matchupsHolmgren and the Thunder finished first

in the West last season, while Wembanyama enters his sophomore season looking to lead the Spurs up the standings after a 22-60 debut

Mavericks vs. Warriors: Tuesday, Nov. 12 (10 ET, TNT)

In one of the biggest moves of the offseason, Klay Thompson left Golden State in a sign-and-trade deal with DallasAfter 11 years and four championships with Steph Curry, Draymond Green and the Warriors, Thompson starts a new chapter with Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the MavsThe Emirates NBA Cup will provide a stage for the first Klay-Warriors reunion gameAfter watching the Splash Bros rain 3s

on opponents for more than a decade, now we get to see them do so against one another

5. ASSIST WEEK IN GIFS

It’s Assist Week in the NBA, meaning we’re focusing on all things dimes, from last year’s top assist duos to the league’s leading lob artists.

Relive some of our favorite helpers from the 2023-24 season below and see more pocket passes here.