The NBA Cup schedule finally gives the Nuggets a real shot to do something they haven’t done yet: get out of the group stage.
The league has begun rolling out its 2026 schedule in pieces, and Denver landed a draw that looks manageable on paper. The in-season tournament still sits well below an NBA championship in the pecking order, but it does come with a trophy, bragging rights, a hefty bonus for the players, and, if last season is any guide, a glimpse of what the postseason could look like.
That part mattered a lot in 2025-26. The championship game ended up featuring the two eventual NBA Finals teams, with the New York Knicks beating the San Antonio Spurs 124-113.
Denver, meanwhile, never got that far. The Nuggets were eliminated in group play after losing 139-136 to the Spurs in a game they had to win to reach the knockout rounds.
This year’s path starts in West Group A, where the Nuggets were matched with the Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and Utah Jazz. Two of those teams reached the playoffs a year ago, but Denver should have a strong enough group to work through, especially with the young and talented Jazz and Mavericks also on the slate.
Here’s how the schedule breaks down:
Game 1: Friday, 10/30, at Phoenix, 7 P.M. MT
Game 2: Friday, 11/20, vs Houston, 8 P.M MT - NBA on Prime
Game 3: Tuesday, 11/24 vs Dallas, 8 P.M. MT - NBA on NBC
Game 4: Friday, 11/27 at Utah, 7:30 P.M. MT
If Denver finally makes it through, the knockout rounds are set for Dec. 4th and 5th, with the NBA Cup Championship game on Dec. 11th.
The reason “finally” matters is simple: the Nuggets are 0-3 in their previous NBA Cup attempts. In each of those seasons, they went 2-2 and fell short of the knockout stage. That at least bought them some extra rest, but it also left the door open for a little more.
And maybe that’s where Nikola Jokic enters the picture. LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jalen Brunson have all won the NBA Cup and the NBA Cup MVP trophy. That group, at least in this telling, feels incomplete without Jokic.
Now Denver gets another chance to change that.
In Other News...
Nuggets And Peyton Watson Are Drifting Toward A Tough Roster Call
Peyton Watsons restricted free agency has settled into the sort of stand-off the Nuggets were hoping to avoid. Denver has put a four-year, $70 million proposal on the table with a team option in the final season, but the talks have not moved much beyond that point as the sides work through value and role in a tighter financial picture for the franchise.
Watsons camp is believed to be targeting a higher annual number, and that gap has left sign-and-trade possibilities in play if a deal cannot be bridged. Cleveland, Milwaukee and the Clippers have all been floated as possible landing spots, while the Nuggets also have to weigh the risk of Watson simply playing on his qualifying offer if the market never gives either side a clean exit. [Read more 🡒]
Peyton Watson Has Become A Real Nuggets Flashpoint This Summer
Peyton Watson has gone from promising young piece to summer conversation starter for the Nuggets, and the reason is simple enough: Denver wants to keep him, but the business of restricted free agency has turned the situation into a real test of how much both sides can live with. The Nuggets are working through contract talks with a player whose growth has made him part of the franchises longer-term plans, even as the team continues to navigate the kind of financial pressures that come with building around a contending core.
The wrinkle is that this has not stayed a Denver-only issue. Interest has surfaced from several teams around the league, with the Clippers, Hawks, Bucks and Cavaliers among those linked to a possible sign-and-trade path, which only adds more moving parts to an already delicate negotiation. For now, Watsons future remains unsettled, with the qualifying offer still on the table and the possibility of a longer agreement hanging over the rest of the offseason as training camp gets closer. [Read more 🡒]
Peyton Watson Just Put The Nuggets In A Tough Offseason Spot
Denvers offseason has already been boxed in by the hard realities of the second apron, and the front office is operating with almost no margin for error. The Nuggets have made only one signing so far, and with a projected luxury tax bill hanging over everything, keeping young talent in place has become harder than usual, especially when the player in question has real league-wide value.
Peyton Watson is now the clearest example of that squeeze. Denver would like to keep the restricted free agent picture from getting messier, but his market has started to form beyond Colorado, with sign-and-trade chatter beginning to frame the next step. For the Nuggets, the challenge is not just finding a path to hold onto him, but navigating an offseason where every move has to fit both the cap sheet and whatever return another team is willing to put on the table. [Read more 🡒]