The NBA continues to unveil the regular-season schedule for the 2026-27 season. Following a few brief notes on the opening-night games and the Christmas slate, the league has rolled out the first major block of games with the announcement of all the dates for the 2026 NBA Cup. The season’s first tournament, which will tip off on October 30, is set to create a competitive atmosphere from the start, featuring big matchups and a few rematches from the opening night.
And given that the Knicks and 76ers have fallen into the same group, the league has chosen to open the Cup with another face-off between the East’s two teams with the biggest names. After they meet on October 20 to kick off the regular season, the teams will face each other again just 10 days later, giving one of them the chance to establish early dominance in their conference right from the start.
30 TEAMS. 6 GROUPS. 1 CHAMPION. 🏆
The @emirates NBA Cup schedule is HERE! The tournament tips off with Group Play games from October 30 through November 27, with the Championship held at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, December 11!
Check out the full schedule ➡️… pic.twitter.com/zVMZzi4rxW— NBA (@NBA) August 12, 2026
From that day forward, every Friday will be NBA Cup night through to the final week of November, when the group stages will be completed. It will be in that week that the tournament starts to accelerate, because in addition to Friday the 27th, when everything will be decided, Cup games will also be played on Tuesday the 24th and on Wednesday the 25th, closing the first phase with a sprint that leaves everything ready for the knockout rounds.
These will begin the following week, with the quarterfinals contested on December 4 and 5, the semifinals on the 8 and 9, and the grand final on the 11th. It’s worth noting that these decisive clashes will no longer take place in Las Vegas, as the semifinals will be played at the arena of one of the two participating teams and the final will take place at the Hinkle Fieldhouse of Butler University in Indiana.
Other Dates
In addition, the league has released the matchups for two other relatively notable days on two national holidays. Martin Luther King Day and Presidents Day will also feature clashes between big-name teams, distributed as follows:
Martin Luther King Day (January 18)
- Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers
- Philadelphia 76ers vs Atlanta Hawks
- Minnesota Timberwolves vs New York Knicks
- Houston Rockets vs Memphis Grizzlies
Two holidays. Eight matchups. One home for elite NBA hoops. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/dL2G36R0TW
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) August 12, 2026
Presidents Day (February 15)
- Minnesota Timberwolves vs Charlotte Hornets
- Philadelphia 76ers vs Dallas Mavericks
- San Antonio Spurs vs Miami Heat
- Indiana Pacers vs Golden State Warriors
Now the rest of the schedule remains to be released today and will allow fans to have all the key dates for their teams clearly in mind.
