The defending NBA Cup champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, are set to compete in this season’s tournament group stage alongside the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, and Miami Heat, as confirmed by the league on Wednesday.

This third year of the tournament kicks off with group stage matches starting from October 31, running through November 28.

The quarterfinals are scheduled for December 9 and 10, with the semifinals occurring on December 13 in Las Vegas. The championship match, which won’t impact the season’s records or statistics for the competing teams, will take place on December 16 also in Las Vegas.

During group stages, each team will play two games at home and two away. Teams that do not progress to the quarterfinals or semifinals will have additional matchups against two teams that also didn’t qualify, extending the regular season to a full 82 games.

Games in the quarterfinals and semifinals will count toward the regular season statistics for those teams involved.

The Groups:

• East Group A — Cleveland, Indiana, Atlanta, Toronto, Washington
• East Group B — Boston, Detroit, Orlando, Brooklyn, Philadelphia
• East Group C — Milwaukee, New York, Chicago, Miami, Charlotte
• West Group A — Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Sacramento, Phoenix, Utah
• West Group B — LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Memphis, Dallas, New Orleans
• West Group C — Houston, Denver, Golden State, Portland, San Antonio

Full match schedules will be released in August, coinciding with the complete NBA schedule for the 2025-26 season.