The second edition of the in-season tournament, known as the Emirates NBA Cup, tips off Tuesday. All 30 teams will play four group-stage games across the next several weeks for the chance to reach the knockout rounds and ultimately the championship game on Dec. 17 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Behind the efforts of LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural NBA Cup but their first-round exit in the 2024 playoffs proved that getting hot to win a single-elimination tournament in December is very different from subsequent postseason success.
Conversely, last year's runner-up Indiana Pacers used their unexpected NBA Cup success as a springboard to a long playoff run, reaching the Eastern Conference finals before falling to the eventual champion Boston Celtics.
Let's break down which teams have the best chance at following in the footsteps of the Lakers and Pacers with the help of ESPN's Basketball Power Index, which generates projected odds of advancing as the group winner. We'll also evaluate which teams are best positioned to potentially claim the wild-card spot in each conference with an eye toward Las Vegas.
Jump to a group:
East Group A (CHA, BKN, NYK, ORL, PHI)
East Group B (DET, IND, MIA, MIL, TOR)
East Group C (ATL, BOS, CHI, CLE, WAS)
West Group A (HOU, LAC, MIN, POR, SAC)
West Group B (OKC, LAL, PHX, SA, UTAH)
West Group C (DAL, DEN, GS, NO, MEM)
