The Memphis Grizzlies now know the road map for their 2026 Emirates NBA Cup run, and the group comes with a mix of heavyweight resistance and some matchups Memphis will feel it can handle.
The NBA released the Group Play schedule on Wednesday, setting Cup Nights for every Friday from Oct. 30 through Nov. 27, plus Tuesday, Nov. 24 and Wednesday, Nov. 25. Memphis lands in West Group B alongside the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans.
The opening test arrives quickly. The Grizzlies will host the Thunder on Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
That is followed by a road trip to New Orleans on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. Memphis then gets a long wait - 12 days - before its third Cup game, a home meeting with the Clippers at 7 p.m.
The group stage wraps up in Minnesota, where the Grizzlies visit the Timberwolves on Friday, Nov. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
One note for Memphis fans: none of the Grizzlies’ NBA Cup games will be national broadcasts.
West Group B is fronted by the Thunder, the 2024-25 NBA champions, while Minnesota has been one of the league’s more accomplished recent teams after reaching the Western Conference Finals in both 2023-24 and 2024-25. The Clippers and Pelicans were also in Memphis’ group last season, and both are projected to be lighter on wins this year, making this group less of a standard Western Conference slog than some others.
Memphis had its best NBA Cup showing last season, finishing 3-1. That run started with a loss at home to the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Grizzlies responded with three straight wins over the Dallas Mavericks at home, then the Pelicans and Clippers on the road.
Even that wasn’t enough to move on. Memphis missed bracket play because of the point differential tiebreaker with the Phoenix Suns. Both teams finished 3-1 and second in their groups, but Phoenix’s plus-31 edge beat out Memphis’ plus-14.
Before that, the Grizzlies had gone 1-7 across the 2023 and 2024 NBA Cups, including the year it was still called the In-Season Tournament. In 2023, Memphis dropped games to the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Lakers and Suns. The following year, the lone win came at home against the Pelicans, with losses to the Warriors, Nuggets and Mavericks.
The bigger picture for Memphis’ Cup schedule should become clearer once the full NBA slate drops on Thursday, Aug. 12 at 2 p.m. CT, which will show how these games fit into the broader travel and back-to-back picture.
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Grizzlies Get An Early NBA Cup Test Fans Will Be Watching
The early part of the 2026-27 season already comes with a built-in measuring stick for Memphis, as the Grizzlies landed in West Group B of the Emirates NBA Cup alongside the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans. It is the kind of group that immediately draws attention, not just because of the names involved, but because every matchup carries extra weight in a tournament that has quickly become one of the leagues more watched side competitions.
Memphis will play its group games from Nov. 6 through Nov. 27, with the knockout rounds set to begin in early December. The broader calendar is still to come, with the full 2026-27 schedule due Aug. 13, but the Cup draw already gives fans a clear early-season snapshot of where the Grizzlies will be tested, and against whom they will first have a chance to measure themselves. [Read more 🡒]