The Memphis Grizzlies now know the first four dates that matter in the 2026-27 season, and they all come in the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup.
Memphis landed in West Group B with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans. The league drew all 30 teams into groups based on last season’s records, setting up the fourth edition of the in-season tournament, which began in 2023.
The toughest road in the group, at least on paper, runs through Oklahoma City and Minnesota. The Thunder have been the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed in each of the last three seasons, while the Timberwolves made a notable offseason move by trading for star guard LaMelo Ball to put him alongside Anthony Edwards.
The Grizzlies will get Oklahoma City at home on Nov. 6, then close group play against Minnesota on Nov. 27.
In between, they’ll face the Pelicans on the road on Nov. 13 and host the Clippers on Nov. 25.
Memphis did not land one of the NBA Cup’s 15 nationally televised games.
Full Grizzlies NBA Cup schedule
Nov. 6: vs. Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.
Nov. 13: at New Orleans, 7 p.m.
Nov. 25: vs. L.A. Clippers, 7 p.m.
Nov. 27: at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m.
The path out of group play is simple enough, even if the math usually isn’t. Six group winners and one wild-card team from each conference move on to the quarterfinals on Dec.
4-5. The semifinals are set for Dec. 8 or 9 in the respective team markets, and the championship will be played Dec. 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Usually, three wins in the four-game group stage is the benchmark for advancing, though tiebreakers can change everything.
Memphis has gone 5-7 in NBA Cup group play over the last three seasons. Last year, the Grizzlies went 3-1, but they still missed the knockout round after losing out on point-differential tiebreakers.
The full 2026-27 NBA schedule will be announced Aug. 13.
In Other News...
Grizzlies Land A Tough NBA Cup Draw With Early Stakes
The NBA Cup picture for Memphis is set, and it is not a soft landing. The Grizzlies were drawn into West Group B with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans, a slate that gives them no easy nights and plenty of early-season measuring sticks as the tournament games run from Oct. 30 through Nov. 27.
Memphis also learned it will have to make its case without the benefit of a nationally televised Cup game, at least on the schedule release that came out this week. The broader season schedule drops Aug. 12, which should bring the rest of the context for how this group stage fits into the grind of travel and back-to-backs, but for now the takeaway is clear: the Grizzlies drew one of the leagues tougher Cup assignments and will have to prove themselves the hard way. [Read more 🡒]