NBA Cup group play opens: the 76ers beat the Knicks 98-93, the Warriors beat the Lakers 112-95 and ten teams are 1-0

By McKinley Malbrough III, J.D., MS-HRM · Certified WNBA player agent · Former certified NBA agent

Published October 31, 2026. Last updated October 31, 2026.

This post is dated October 31, 2026, one night into group play. It adds results to the NBA Cup format post, and the group-by-group math is in the NBA Cup groups guide. What players earn from a deep run is in the NBA Cup prize money guide.

What were the NBA Cup group play results on the first night?

Ten group games were played on Friday, October 30, and the scores are per Eurohoops's roundup. ESPN's Cup schedule lists the same ten matchups for that night, per ESPN.

Which teams are 1-0 in the NBA Cup standings?

Ten teams are 1-0, ten are 0-1 and ten have not played a group game, by the author's count from the Eurohoops scores, which matches the table on the NBA's Cup standings page. The 1-0 teams are the Pistons, Magic, Heat, 76ers, Celtics, Wizards, Mavericks, Nuggets, Timberwolves and Warriors.

The 0-1 teams are the Nets, Raptors, Pacers, Knicks, Hornets, Bulls, Rockets, Suns, Clippers and Lakers. The Bucks, Cavaliers, Hawks, Jazz, Thunder, Pelicans, Grizzlies, Spurs, Trail Blazers and Kings have not played, per ESPN. Every team plays four group games, per NBA Cup 101, so each team has three or four left.

Which opening-night margins could matter in the tiebreakers?

The biggest margins were the Timberwolves' 26 points over the Clippers, the Heat's 20 over the Pacers and the Warriors' 17 over the Lakers, per the Eurohoops scores. The Pistons and Wizards each won by 16. The closest games were the 76ers over the Knicks and the Mavericks over the Rockets, both by five.

Margin matters because point differential in group play is the second tiebreaker after head-to-head record, per NBA Cup 101. Each pair of teams meets once, so two tied teams are separated by their own game, and margin only comes into play with three or more tied teams. It matters most in the wild card race, where head-to-head is dropped from the tiebreakers, per NBA Cup 101. One night is one of the four group games for each team that played, so no margin is settled yet.

How did the first East Group B games go?

The 76ers beat the defending Cup champion Knicks 98-93, and the Heat beat the Pacers 145-125, per Eurohoops. Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 25 points, and Sixers forward James had 20 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, per Yahoo Sports.

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The Knicks are 0-1 in the group, but last year they lost their Cup opener, won their next three games and took first place in the group, per Yahoo Sports. ESPN calls East Group B "a monster" and says all five teams are among the East favorites, per ESPN. The Heat and 76ers meet on November 25, per ESPN's schedule.

What comes next in NBA Cup group play?

Group nights are November 6, 13, 20, 24, 25 and 27, per NBA.com, and the quarterfinals are December 4 and 5. The next Friday, November 6, has nine games, per ESPN, including the 76ers at the Cavaliers on Prime and the Trail Blazers at the Lakers on Prime.

The ten teams that have not played start then, and November 13 includes the Knicks at the Pacers and the Warriors at the Spurs, both on Prime, per ESPN. The NBA lists 15 national games on Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and ESPN, per NBA Cup 101. Standings and tiebreakers are explained in the groups guide linked above.