The 2024 Emirates NBA Cup tips off on Tuesday night, with a slate of intriguing matchups all around.
Last year, the Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural edition of the competition, then called the In-Season Tournament. In the championship game, L.A. blew out the then-ascendant Indiana Pacers, 123-109. All-NBA center Anthony Davis scored a game-high 41 points on 16-of-24 shooting from the floor and 9-of-13 shooting from the charity stripe, gobbled up 20 rebounds, dished out five dimes and blocked four shots.
In the 2024 competition, the Lakers have been given +1600 odds of winning it all, according to FanDuel.
Read more: NBA In-Season Tournament Announces Rebranded Name, New Team Groups
This year, the reigning league champion Boston Celtics are the odds-on favorites (+400) to win. Each standard-roster player on the winning club earns a $500,000 bonus, while the losing squad’s personnel earns a $200,000 bonus. Semifinalist squads will net $100,000 per player, while quarterfinalists will make $50,000 a piece. The media will pick the tournament’s MVP.
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This year, as was the case last year, the league has been split into six five-team groups, along conference lines. The group play stage will includes games on Tuesdays and Fridays, and run from this Tuesday, Nov. 12, through Friday, Dec. 6.
In West Group A, the 6-4 Minnesota Timberwolves are probably the favorite to advance, though surprisingly the 7-4 Houston Rockets have the superior record so far. The Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and Portland Trail Blazers comprise the rest of that batch. The Oklahoma City Thunder, plagued lately by injuries to all three of their top centers, lead West Group B.
The winners of each group, plus a wildcard player out of each conference, will advance to the eight-time quarterfinals phase, which will be played on Dec. 10 and 11. The action next moves to Las Vegas for a pair of semifinals games on Dec. 14. The 2024 championship clash will transpire on Dec. 17, also in Vegas.
Read more: Emirates NBA Cup 2024 Group Play Matchups Revealed
Here are Tuesday night’s games:
Celtics-Hawks, 7 p.m. ET
Pistons-Heat, 7 p.m. ET
Magic-Hornets, 7 p.m. ET
76ers-Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET
Bucks-Raptors, 8 p.m. ET
Jazz-Suns, 9 p.m. ET
Warriors-Mavericks, 10 p.m. ET
Trail Blazers-Timberwolves, 10 p.m. ET
This story will be updated…
