This past season, the NBA held its first-ever in-season tournament, and it ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the inaugural NBA Cup.
Whether one values that victory or wants to toss it aside, the play-in tournament was a success for the league, especially in terms of ratings, and it is here to stay.
This coming season, the Lakers will be in Group B as they look to capture the re-branded Emirates NBA Cup and repeat as the winners of the in-season tourney.
Their group play schedule for the early stages of the 2024-25 campaign has been released. They will face the San Antonio Spurs in Texas on Nov. 15, host the Utah Jazz four days later, visit the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 26 and play the Oklahoma City Thunder at home on Nov. 29.
The Lakers’ NBA Cup group and schedule as L.A. will look to defend the inaugural in-season tournament title: pic.twitter.com/wubea9Go4p
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) August 13, 2024
The teams that qualify for the knockout round will advance to the quarterfinal round, which will take place on Dec. 10 and Dec. 11. The four winners will then travel to Las Vegas for the semifinal and final rounds, which will be played on Dec. 14 and Dec. 17, respectively.
