The NBA announced on Thursday that the second iteration of its in-season tournament, now called the Emirates NBA Cup, is set to commence on November 12. This year’s tournament will incorporate regular-season games designated as NBA Cup fixtures.
Similar to last year’s format, the competition will see teams divided into six groups of five, competing in a single round-robin format. Group play games are scheduled to take place on four consecutive Tuesdays—November 12, November 19, November 26, and December 3—and three Fridays—November 15, November 22, and November 29.
The tournament will progress to the quarterfinals, which are slated for December 10 and 11. Following these matches, the event will move to Las Vegas. T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL’s Golden Knights, will host the semifinals on December 14 and the championship game on December 17.
The draw for the NBA Cup groups will be conducted live on ESPN on Friday night.
In the previous year, the Los Angeles Lakers clinched the title by defeating the Indiana Pacers in the championship game.
The NBA’s February announcement highlighted a new partnership with Emirates, which will see the airline’s branding prominently featured in the tournament starting this season.
