The NBA’s new mid-season tournament—the Emirates NBA Cup—is well underway. The league first debuted the format last season (it was called the In-Season Tournament) to increase engagement and give players something to compete for before the playoffs.
Once the excitement of the NBA returning wears off, it can be easy for fans and players alike to care a little less about games in November than those late in the season when the playoff race is drawing to a close. The NBA Cup is supposed to change that.
It features new courts for each team, a trophy, a banner, and a cash prize for the winning team, and a chance for smaller markets to showcase their talent on national TV. All games except for the final also count towards teams’ regular season records. Last season, LeBron James carried the Lakers to the finals and secured the first-ever title in the new midseason tournament. The Lakers’ opponents, the Indiana Pacers, also used the competition to their advantage, making a statement before going on a deep playoff run.
The Magic could have been on a similar trajectory this season, as they were in a competitive group with the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers and were scheduled to conclude group play with a game on national TV. By now, that game has been changed to feature the Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks rather than the Magic and Knicks.
Nevertheless, the NBA Cup is still a chance for the Magic to prove themselves, especially considering that they are playing without Paolo Banchero.
NBA Cup format
The NBA Cup is divided into two stages: the group stage and the knockout stage. For the first stage, teams were divided into six groups, three in each conference. Between November 12 and December 3, opponents within a group will face off each Tuesday and Friday on “Cup Night.” Each team will play two games at home and two on the road.
Win totals point differential will decide which teams move on to the knockout rounds. Eight teams will compete in the second stage of the NBA Cup—the six winners of each group and two wild card teams. Wild card teams are selected from the pool of non-winners, and the team with the best record in that group in each conference also gets to move on.
The knockout rounds feature a series of single-elimination games until only two teams are left for the championship game in Las Vegas on December 17.
Orlando Magic NBA Cup schedule and results
Opponent | Results | |
|---|---|---|
November 12 | Charlotte Hornets | 114-89 W |
November 15 | Philadelphia 76ers | 98-86 W |
November 29 | Brooklyn Nets | 123-100 W |
December 3 | New York Knicks | 121-106 L |
East Group A Standings
Team | Wins | Losses | Points | Opp. Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
New York Knicks | 4 | 0 | 455 | 425 |
Orlando Magic | 3 | 1 | 441 | 396 |
Philadelphia 76ers | 2 | 2 | 408 | 411 |
Brooklyn Nets | 1 | 3 | 436 | 475 |
Charlotte Hornets | 0 | 4 | 406 | 439 |
How does this affect the Magic’s schedule?
Like all teams’ schedules, the Magic’s regular season schedule currently only features 80 games. The two remaining games will be determined depending on the results of the NBA Cup. If the Magic move on to the knockout rounds, they will face one or two teams also still competing for the NBA Cup. If they do not move on, they will be scheduled to face other teams that did not move on either. So, until we know the results, the Magic’s full schedule is still a mystery.