The Emirates NBA Cup is back for spooky season at Rocket Arena Oct. 31 as the Cleveland Cavaliers are set to play against the Toronto Raptors. The league’s in-season tournament format began in 2023.
The Cavaliers are in East Group A with the Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards.
Tip-off for the first game of the tournament is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
NBA Cup courts to again feature new looks
The Cavs court at Rocket Arena will be different than the regular season court during NBA Cup games.
For the Cavs, the court will be predominantly the team’s wine coloration with NBA Cup trophies adorning midcourt and each sides’ paint area.
The team’s rally cry “Let ‘Em Know” will be prominently featured on the sideline.
When do NBA Cup games take place during the regular season? How does the in-season tournament work?
Cavs and Raptors begin 2025 NBA Cup play on Halloween
The Cleveland Cavs faced off against the Toronto Raptors on Friday, Oct. 31, to begin NBA Cup play. Here’s more on the in-season tournament format.
Tournament games will take place every Tuesday and Friday until Nov. 28. Each team plays the other four teams in its group once. The schedule features two home games and two away games for each team in group play.
The six winners from each group and one wild card from each conference will advance to the single-elimination knockout rounds.
All NBA Cup games will count toward regular season standings, except for the championship. Semifinals and Finals will both be played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Semifinals will be on Dec. 13 and the championship will be played on Dec. 16.
Since the launch of the NBA Cup, the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks are the two squads who’ve won the tournament so far.
All 30 NBA teams were randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on win-loss records from the 2024-25 regular season.
The next set of Cup games to watch for in the group stage
- Cavs travel to Wizards on Nov. 7. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
- Cavs host Indiana Pacers on Nov. 21, broadcast will be on Amazon Prime. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
- Cavs travel to Hawks on Nov. 28. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.
Alisson Toro-Lagos is a reporter for the Beacon Journal. She can be reached via email at atorolagos@gannett.com.
