The NBA Cup, also known as the Emirates Cup, opens tonight with the Memphis Grizzlies hosting the Lakers in a matchup. The game will mark the third season of this relatively new format introduced in the NBA. Viewership for the opening night last season showed a massive year-over-year jump from its 2023 debut.

The Los Angeles Lakers were crowned the inaugural champions in 2023, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks’ triumph in 2024-25. Now, as the 2025-26 edition tips off, many teams would want to rise next? But what do the predictions say? Let’s start by diving into the NBA cup first.

What is the NBA Cup and How does it work?

The NBA Cup is the league’s official in-season tournament, starting in 2023. Commissioner Adam Silver described it as a way to bring excitement to the long regular season. “Part of it is very specific in terms of a hope for a rating, a hope for fan interest…”

The format itself mirrors a soccer cup tournament. In the NBA setting, all 30 teams are divided into six groups of five. They are then split by conference and seeded according to the previous season’s records. This year, each team will play four games in its group, two at home and two away, from October 31 to November 28.

The knockout rounds begin after group play. The quarterfinals are scheduled on December 9-10, with the semifinals set to be held on December 13. And finally the championship is on December 16. Early Christmas thrill for the viewers and exciting rewards, in both trophy and monetary form for the players and coaches alike.

The location for this year’s semifinals and finals will once again be Las Vegas. While the final doesn’t count toward regular-season standings, the format is somewhat like a short term tournament to boost up the mid-season energy.

“The international players, which are roughly a quarter of our league, have more familiarity with these sorts of cup tournaments,” Silver explained, noting how the concept was inspired by European games. “We stole the idea from international soccer, and so they [international players] were quick to get it and also just understand the tradition.”

This is a relatively new format for NBA players. Over the past two years, the Lakers and Bucks have emerged as champions. This season, teams like the Warriors could be strong contenders. However, the situation will become clearer when the Lakers, missing most of their star players (both Luka and LeBron), face the Grizzlies tonight.

How the Lakers are performing in the NBA Cup 2025

The Lakers take pride in many accomplishments, one of which is being the first-ever champions of the tournament. They completed a flawless 7-0 run in the 2023 edition, defeating the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in the final.

At the time, Anthony Davis was still with the team, delivering a dominant performance with 41 points, 20 rebounds, and 4 blocks. LeBron James was named tournament MVP, averaging 26.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.6 assists.

As the 2025-26 regular season began, the Lakers no longer had Davis. For the first time in his 23-year career, LeBron was also sidelined due to sciatica. All hopes were placed on Luka Doncic.

However, on October 24, 2025, Doncic suffered a left finger strain and was out for about a week. The Lakers lost their first regular-season game to the Golden State Warriors, 119-109, on October 21, 2025, despite LeBron’s absence, with Doncic delivering a strong 43-point performance.

Warriors’ journey in the NBA Cup 2025

In the 2024 version of the in-season tournament, they topped their “West Group C” but failed to make a sustained run. Their streak ended in the quarterfinals, where they were edged out in a dramatic 91-90 loss to the Houston Rockets. In the 2025-26 regular season, they have posted a 4-2 record. Their latest loss came against the Milwaukee Bucks by a score of 120-110 on Thursday. Nonetheless, Steph Curry’s performance was undeterred.

This regular season, he’s averaging approximately 27.0 points per game. This is set to translate into the in-season games in the NBA Cup. Their next stand-off is against the Indiana Pacers on November 2, 2025.

NBA Cup: Surprising contenders & dark horses

We are yet to see the NBA cup games to finalize the contenders. However, if regular-season games are any indicator, we can definitely spot some dark horses.

One standout is the San Antonio Spurs, powered by the meteoric rise of Victor Wembanyama. It is only a week in the regular season, and Wembanyama has already posted historic numbers. He became the first player in NBA history to record 100+ points and 15 or more blocks through the first three games of a season.

He is unstoppable this season. Through his leadership, the Spurs are also maintaining a 5-0 winning streak, a franchise first.

Another contender making ranks in analysts’ lists is the Oklahoma City Thunder. They’re off to a 6-0 start this regular season, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He is averaging 34.2 points, 5.7 assists, and anchoring a defense that currently ranks second in the league.

If Oklahoma City or a surging San Antonio continues this pace, teams like the Lakers or Warriors could find themselves on upset alert when the actual games begin.