The third iteration of the NBA Cup is nearly here, as the in-season tournament will kick off on Friday with a slate of eight games.
The tournament is formatted in a way so that the 30 teams will compete for supremacy in one of six groups. In each group, there are five squads apiece, with three groups per conference. Within each group, the squads will face one another once, and each group will produce one winner.
That means there will be six winners in total (along with two wild card teams who will also advance to give us eight teams in the tournament’s quarterfinals). It seems as if there’s no better time than now to predict the winners of every group in the 2025 NBA Cup. Without further ado, let’s guess who will be the standout teams of the in-season tournament.
East Group A projected winner: Cleveland Cavaliers
East Group A teams: ATL, CLE, IND, TOR, WAS
The first group in the Eastern Conference is looking as top-heavy as any of the six, and the Cavaliers will ultimately win it. If this were several months ago, that would probably be a different story, but the reigning Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers aren’t the same team they were last season.
Not only is point guard Tyrese Haliburton out for all of this season, but a lot of the other key players from their NBA Finals run are nursing injuries of their own, like Andrew Nembhard, T.J. McConnell, Bennedict Mathurin and Obi Toppin. On top of all that poor injury luck, Indiana lost center Myles Turner in free agency as well.
Outside of the Pacers, the Cavaliers have two struggling teams to worry about beating in the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards. Elsewhere in the group is the Atlanta Hawks, who have underperformed so far this season, and they now have a star player in Trae Young who is banged up.
The lack of competition will play a bigger part in the Cavs winning the group than any other factor, as they haven’t been as dominant so far this season as they were last season. They haven’t been able to rebound the ball effectively, and a couple of their players are in rough shooting slumps.
As a result, some of the NBA Cup games will be too close for comfort for Cleveland, but it’ll still end up the victor in this group.
East Group B projected winner: Philadelphia 76ers
East Group B teams: BKN, BOS, DET, ORL, PHI
With the exception of the Brooklyn Nets, there aren’t any legitimately bad teams in this group. Still, the 76ers have clearly been the best of the bunch to this point, and the Detroit Pistons are the lone other squad in the group currently with a record above the .500 mark.
Some 76ers fans probably didn’t expect the team to still be undefeated on Halloween, but that’s the reality. Even with star big man Joel Embiid on a minutes restriction and not looking his best, superb play from their starting backcourt will result in them winning the group.
Starting with floor general Tyrese Maxey, he ranks tops not just on his team but in the league in points per game with 37.5, and he’s already scored 40-plus points twice. With the groove he’s in, opposing teams in the group won’t have an answer for him on that end.
Rookie shooting guard V.J. Edgecombe has played as well as any first-year player, too. The all-around level at which he’s contributing for Philadelphia this early in his career is remarkable. He’s making an impact up and down the stat sheet with averages of 22.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game through four contests.
East Group C projected winner: Milwaukee Bucks
East Group C teams: CHA, CHI, NYK, MIA, MIL
The reigning NBA Cup champions could very well just repeat. The Bucks didn’t head into this season with sky-high expectations by any stretch following the injury and departure of guard Damian Lillard, but they’ve been quietly one of the best teams in the East.
At 4-1, the Bucks are only trailing the undefeated Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers in the standings. They’ve picked up wins over the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors recently as well.
A surprisingly productive season from a former late draft pick has been a major storyline in the Bucks’ strong start. Ryan Rollins, who never averaged more than 6.2 points per game in an NBA campaign before this season, hasn’t just proven he’s an NBA talent — he’s arguably been Milwaukee’s second-best player.
Rollins is scoring 18.6 points per game this season and has been compiling steals at an impressive rate to boot, as he’s averaging a team-high 2.4.
Along with the breakout season from Rollins, superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo looks motivated to prove that he can lead this team to a lot of wins. There’s a real argument that nobody in the NBA has played better basketball than him so far, as he’s put up nuclear numbers of 36.3 points, 14.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per contest.
This is a tricky group. The Bulls are perfect so far, and the Knicks are NBA Finals threats this season. The Miami Heat, meanwhile, are riding high with a new offensive system, and even the Charlotte Hornets have a couple of wins. But the Bucks have had NBA Cup success in the past, and it will continue this season.
West Group A projected winner: Oklahoma City Thunder
West Group A teams: MIN, OKC, PHX, SAC, UTA
This answer is pretty self-explanatory. The Thunder — who are on the heels of winning the 2025 NBA title — still look like the best team in basketball. They have the best record in the NBA right now at 6-0, and along with guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, big man Chet Holmgren has been a catalyst behind their undefeated start.
He appears to have a newfound level of confidence in his offensive game, as he’s averaging a career-high 23.0 points per game while shooting 41.7 percent from deep. Holmgren could very well be in the conversation for the Most Improved Player award at the end of the season.
Beyond the fact that the Thunder are still the team to beat in the NBA behind a new and improved Holmgren, this group is lacking truly dangerous teams outside of Oklahoma City.
The Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz are all less talented than the Thunder and unlikely to be major factors in the NBA title race this season. Not only that, but the Thunder have had the Minnesota Timberwolves’ number, as they beat them in a gentleman’s sweep in the 2025 Western Conference Finals.
West Group B projected winner: Los Angeles Clippers
West Group B teams: DAL, NOP, MEM, LAC, LAL
Maybe some people are surprised that the Los Angeles Lakers aren’t picked as the team to win this group. But the reality is that it’s unclear when exactly forward LeBron James will make his season debut. A return around the middle of November has been mentioned. With James’ availability moving forward unclear, the Clippers will be the best team in the group.
The Clippers are just 2-2 on the season, but take that record with a grain of salt. They have a lot of new faces still trying to get acclimated, and soon, their great depth will shine.
There might not be a team in basketball with more depth at every position than this one. The depth of the Clippers is illustrated in their minutes distribution so far, as 11 players on the team are averaging 14-plus minutes per contest.
Also, they have an optimal mix of stout defenders and gifted offensive players and are led by none other than forward Kawhi Leonard, who knows what it takes to win at a high level.
West Group C projected winner: Houston Rockets
West Group C teams: DEN, GSW, HOU, POR, SAS
Of all the six groups in the tournament, this one is easily the most stacked in terms of quality of teams. All of the five squads own records at the .500 mark or better on the season.
First, the San Antonio Spurs are one of just two teams in the West who have yet to lose a game. As for the Denver Nuggets, they’re on a three-game winning streak and employ maybe the best player on the planet in Nikola Jokic.
Meanwhile, the Warriors are led by a dynamic duo in guard Stephen Curry and forward Jimmy Butler, and even the Portland Trail Blazers have been better than anticipated. They’re 3-2 on the season.
So, why pick the only team in the group with a record at .500? Well, the Rockets have yet to lose since their 0-2 start (both losses were close), and they also have a massive starting lineup in terms of size that will cause problems on both ends of the floor.
The likes of Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun have started all four of Houston’s games with the team oscillating between Steven Adams and Josh Okogie as its fifth starter. That’s a strong defensive group, and offensively, there’s a whole lot of scoring and playmaking talent on display.
