2025 NBA Cup bracket: Clinch scenarios, standings with six spots up for grabs

The Lakers and Raptors are in the eight-team knockout stage bracket ... who will join them on Friday?

By Cameron Salerno

Nov 28, 2025 at 3:08 pm ET • 1 min read

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Six of the eight spots in the 2025 NBA Cup knockout stage will be determined Friday night as group play wraps up in the league's third annual in-season tournament. The Lakers and Raptors are the only two teams to have clinched their groups so far, and 12 teams are still alive for the remaining spots in the eight-team knockout bracket.

Friday's 11-game schedule brings three win-and-in games: Magic vs. Pistons, Suns vs. Thunder and Nuggets vs. Spurs. Each of those winners will clinch their respective group and move on to the knockout stage. The Knicks also play a win-and-in game as they host the Bucks at Madison Square Garden. If New York loses, however, the team is eliminated from Cup contention.

There are three groups in each conference. Each group winner moves on and both conferences each get one wild-card team. The wild-card team will be each conference's the top second-place team. Point differential is the deciding tiebreaker among wild-card teams with the same record.

The 18-1 Thunder are currently the favorites to win the 2025 NBA Cup (-105 at FanDuel). The Bucks won the compeittion last year, and the Lakers won the initial version in 2023.

Below are the NBA Cup clinch scenarios and standings entering Friday.

NBA Cup clinch scenarios for Friday

The winners of Magic vs. Pistons, Suns vs. Thunder and Nuggets vs. Spurs will all clinch their groups and a knockout stage spot.
The Knicks win their group with a victory over the Bucks. The Heat clinch the group if the Knicks lose.
The Cavs, Bucks, Knicks, Heat, Grizzlies and Clippers -- in addition to losers of Magic vs. Pistons, Suns vs. Thunder and Nuggets vs. Spurs -- are all alive for wild-card spots.
Complete wild-card clinch scenarios are explained here.